Weed. Marijuana. Ganja.

Some people love it. Some people hate it, or haven’t tried it. MMA fighters and martial artists ain’t no different. Can MMA fighters smoke it?

Well, it depends. Let’s break the issue down.

Is weed legal in your country or state?

The first thing you’ve got to ask yourself is “Is it legal?” In many countries, weed is absolutely illegal. There are some places where smoking weed is legal or decriminalized, like in Canada, but in most countries it isn’t.

For starters, here’s a handy but unofficial wikipedia reference on where marijuana is legal. This isn’t legal advice. If you are unsure whether or not it’s legal where you live, ask your lawyer or take the time to do your research before even thinking of touching any of the green stuff.

If weed is illegal where you live, here’s my three words of advice for you: Please. Forget. It.
MMA fighters or anyone else should not smoke weed where it is illegal.

Martial arts is about improving your goals. Check out this quote from Georges St-Pierre on being a martial artist. If weed is illegal, by smoking it you are putting your life at risk, and the lives of those around you, at risk. That weakens you, not strengthens you.

What if weed is legal or decriminalized?

If it’s legal or decriminalized where you live, hey, I guess you’re past the first gate. But just because your government allows you to smoke weed, doesn’t mean you should smoke weed. This is especially true for MMA fighters or martial artists.

Can MMA fighters smoke weed for medical reasons?

If yes, only if its legal. If it’s illegal in your country and you don’t have permission from the government to smoke it, or consume any of its derivatives, even as a medicine, don’t do it.

If your doctor told you it’s good for you or it can help you with a specific problem you have, by all means follow the doctor’s orders. But hey, I’m not talking about what Uncle Fred told you, or what your college roommate Tom told you. I’m talking about a real doctor of medicine. (Not a doctor of philosophy either!)

It might be good for chronic pain relief, after all. This could help a fighter keep training despite a persistent injury.

Is marijuana allowed by the MMA league or organization you compete in?

Now this is the question you might be interested in if you compete or have plans of competing. The answer to this depends on your local laws and the standards the organization you compete in follow.

Enter WADA. No discussion on whether marijuana is allowed by your MMA organization would be complete without WADA. WADA is the World Anti-Doping Agency, an international organization that leads and coordinates countries in the fight against drugs in sports. While WADA is known as the organization that acts as the main watchdog against performance enhancing drugs, they also formulate rules on any other illegal substances used by athletes in sports.

Most countries, including Australia, Canada, the United States, United Kingdom and other major countries,  look to WADA for guidelines to define what doping or illegal drug use is and what it isn’t. When it comes to marijuana, WADA makes a distinction between “in competition” and “outside competition.” According to WADA weed is banned in-competition. What’s in-competition? Here’s the WADA definition:

“In-competition refers to the period commencing twelve hours before a competition in which the athlete is scheduled to participate through the end of the competition and the sample collection process related to the competition.”

Meanwhile,  “Out-of-competition refers to any period which is not in-competition.” Uhmm.. yeah, you must have figured that one out.

That means, up to twelve hours before stepping into the cage you can light up a joint if you are in a place where it’s legal to and your MMA organization follows WADA standards.

Why is weed banned in-competition?

The USADA or US Anti-Doping Agency, the government organization in the US that handles doping in sports in the US, has a very succinct explanation on why marijuana is banned in-competition on the website.

Basically, a drug is banned if it meets two of three criteria:

• The drug has the potential to enhance or enhances sport performance.
• The drug represents a proven or potential health risk athletes.
• The drug violates the spirit of sport.

Weed checks all three.

Does weed have the potential to enhance or enhances sport performance?

Weed promotes muscle relaxation and reduces pain, making it an advantage for those coping with the after effects of heavy workouts. It decreases anxiety, which helps performance in some sports. Check.

Does weed represents a proven or potential health risk athletes?

Ganja can promote risk-taking behaviors and help you overcome fear. This can be dangerous for athletes – imagine a stoned gymnast pushing himself to flip ever higher on the bars… or an MMA fighter blazing out with little regard for his own safety. Also, while there’s a lot of potential health benefits to marijuana, there are lots of downsides too. Some commonly cited negative health effects of weed are: respiratory problems, cardiac health, and mental health, such as paranoia. Check.

Finally, does weed violate the spirit of the sport?

Since marijuana remains illegal in most countries, using weed doesn’t morally uphold the spirit of sport, which is all about human potential and good values. Check.

Will weed enhance your MMA or martial arts skills?

Okay. So now we’ve determined whether you can or can’t use weed as an MMA fighter. But let’s say you’re in a country where it is 100% legal. Would it make you a better performance?

For the short-term? – As uh… my uncle bob told me, a good dose of the green, green grass can mess up hand-eye coordination. Weed also distort time and spatial perception, not something you’d want during a fight.

For the long term? – Despite all the hype around its medicinal properties, its chronic use is linked to negative health effects and, overall, a decrease in cognitive abilities.

There’s also issues with lung damage with long-term use.

A US Government website has a page dedicated to marijuana use that has a good rundown on the short and long term effects of its use.

Conclusion

If it’s legal where you are living and a doctor says you should use it, not could use it, for medical reasons, by all means use it, such as for example you have a medical condition which a dose of THC could help you with.

If you’re competing in MMA and it’s legal where you are, you can (not should) smoke it, if you really think it will be good you. But be sure your MMA organization allows it. It may be following WADA rules which allows it in-competition.