Athletes consider CBD for pain relief

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By Kenya Rosabol

Staff Writer

Athletes can now use cannabidiol, commonly known as CBD in and out of competition.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed CBD from the list of prohibited substances and the decision went into effect in 2018. WADA is responsible for drug testing in the Olympics.

VANESSA JONES/The Journal

The first CBD shop in Webster Groves, Real Leaf CBD, opened for business down the street from Webster’s main campus.

Alex Nicholas, the head of Webster University Self-Defense Training, said the opening of the new shop brought on many questions as to whether Webster athletes will partake in the use of CBD.

He said the one thing that piqued his interest in CBD was its claim of pain relief and said he was no stranger to pain. In 2018, clinical research on CBD included preliminary studies of anxiety, cognition, movement disorders, and pain, according to Project CBD.

“I’ve been wrestling my whole life, now as the head of self-defense club, I suffer from pain from time to time, Nicholas said.

Nicholas said he experiences pain almost every day from practicing. Although he’s never tried CBD, he said he’s interested in it.

The Real Leaf’s general manager described CBD as a holistic approach to medicine that can help people get off over the counter medications or prescribed medications that have the possibility to potentially disrupt the kidneys and the liver.

Real Leaf CBD offers different methods of using CBD such as topical creams and gummies.
People from ages 90 to nine (with parental consent) go to the store. Olympians, professional golfers and tennis players are allowed to use CBD.

The NCAA does not list CBD as a banned substance, but it does list tetrahydrocannabinol (THC.) THC is the psychoactive component of cannabis. The rule does not explicitly list whether or not CBD is ok for college athletes to use. Webster’s athletic trainer Martin Fields said this makes things confusing, due to it being somewhat of a grey area.

“The rules and regulations of the various bodies should be similar, not confusing–it’s legal for one but illegal for another, Fields said. “It makes it difficult for the enforcers and medical staff to promote what their governing bodies believe is accurate.”

He said he would not recommend Webster athletes to use CBD products because it is still ‘banned’ by the NCAA. Fields said CBD has lax quality assurance and it is documented that some CBD products contain THC in amounts that would test positive in an athlete.

THC is illegal in most states. In Missouri, medical cannabis is legal but not for recreational use. not recreational. Unlike THC, CBD is the non-psychoactive component of cannabis. Athletes who test positive for THC face consequences from suspension to termination. CBD does not affect users like THC.

Fourteen percent of Americans say they use CBD products and 40% of users utilize CBD products for pain, 20% for anxiety and 11% for sleep, according to a Gallup poll.

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Kenya Rosabal
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