I was recently asked by an amateur boxer that has an apparent opportunity to turn professional, he informed me he smoked weed, my instant reply was, why. He informed me that he saw Nate Diaz on a press conference in the United States come out whilst smoking a huge joint.
I thought I would put together a blog for him based on his request. There are a number of issues to address, the first I believe would be the law, then medical.
In the United States they have a very modern take on smoking weed or marijuana, in fact changing the laws on the use of marijuana in the United States is an impressive spectacle for the rest of the world to potentially consider. Just over 18 months ago there was a mixed reception between states that still believed it was damaging and harmful. In fact, there were 14 states in the US that treated it as illegal, now as per this amazing article you can see for yourself just how the rapid response to marijuana use has spread successfully. Map of Marijuana Legality by State (disa.com) Now there are only 5 states where it is still illegal. Created $128 billion in revenue.
There are benefits to the medicinal use of marijuana but drugs from the street will have varied and in some cases excessive THC compound (tetrahydrocannabinol) which is the chemical compound for psychological effects. In the brain we have natural cannabinoid receptors which are significant towards memory, thinking, pleasure, coordination and perception which contribute to a significant proportion of our daily function, so smoking weed with high THC will have an adverse effect on core function. THC actually over stimulates dopamine response in cells within the brain, and if you read my earlier blog on computer game brain dopamine has its uses in moderation. When created to excess dopamine can actually harm white and grey brain matter on a degenerative function.
When weed is taken in what ever method, it can cause hallucinations and delusions the impact on core motor function can last well after the drug has been taken and you can still have adverse behaviour issues such as anxiety, loss of short-term memory, schizophrenia. If you are able to use weed as a medicinal purpose then it has its advantages as the THC is extremely limited, so you get the pain relief benefit but not the damaging aspect associated with the THC.
One ground breaking study in the UK on terpenes Taming THC: potential cannabis synergy and phytocannabinoid-terpenoid entourage effects (nih.gov) was able to successfully modify the damaging aspect of the THC through changing the terpenes modulation which in turn reduced negative effect. It seems the British weed market is bright on medicinal use, however, from a legal perspective the UK laws are quite strong when it comes to marijuana which has seen a very slow uptake to modernisation. Drugs penalties – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) If you are found with weed then you could face criminal charges even a sentence depending on how much.
I would say that medicinal marijuana can be gained legally from your doctor, smoking weed from illegal avenues on any level is dangerous especially as an athlete about to turn pro. It will show up in any urine test which boxers have to take during monitoring. Even as a pain relief will serve a temporary relief, but the risks in the UK are just not worth it. On another front, the UK government would do well to legalise it and follow suit much like the US has done for the following article Legal cannabis market of UK could pass £2 billion mark by 2024 (consultancy.uk). If this happened it could be policed in the right way with designated county zones and alleviating the police in being able to focus on larger drugs matters freeing up hours of police time and public money. A modern Britain focusing on areas like this will generate billions for the economy.
Overall, medical is ok when approved by your Doctor and if you are retired, any other version from the street is illegal and would not only harm your career path, but could cause adverse impact on you, your brain and mental health due to high THC.
Image credited to Kimzey Nanney