Cannabis Use Is Widespread in Elite Contact Sports

Professional sports have long promoted toughness, discipline, and resilience. Yet behind locker room doors, a quieter conversation has been unfolding, as many athletes turn to cannabis to help with the physical and mental demands in elite contact sports. A 2026 qualitative study¹ suggests that cannabis has become a common part of many elite athletes’ recovery routines, not simply for recreational purposes, but for managing pain, improving sleep, supporting recovery, and maintaining mental wellbeing.

What makes the findings particularly compelling is not just that professional athletes are using cannabis. Rather, it is that many feel unable to openly discuss it with the very medical professionals responsible for protecting their health. Instead, athletes often rely on teammates, internet searches, and personal experimentation to make decisions about cannabinoid use, creating a significant gap between official league policies and the realities of everyday athlete care.

The research raises an important question, as cannabis policies continue to evolve: are athletes receiving the evidence-based guidance they need to make informed decisions? Let’s dive into the research and how we can better help athletes who choose to use plant-based therapeutics.

Cannabis for Athlete’s Recovery

Researchers interviewed current and former elite contact sport athletes who competed in leagues including the NHL, NFL, NBA, AHL, NCAA, and USports. Although experiences varied, one message appeared consistently throughout the interviews: that cannabis use is already widespread within elite contact sports.

Study at a Glance

Athletes described using cannabis intentionally for a variety of reasons, including pain management, improved sleep, physical recovery, stress reduction, anxiety relief, and overall mental health support. Several participants also viewed cannabis as a preferable alternative to prescription pain medications or alcohol, while others reported using cannabidiol (CBD) products to help manage soreness and inflammation.

The interviews suggest that many athletes are not using cannabis casually or indiscriminately. Instead, they described carefully considering factors such as dosage, timing, cannabinoid content, and delivery method depending on their training schedules and recovery needs. For example, some preferred low-dose edibles or tinctures, while others used topical CBD products or inhaled cannabis after competition. Many also reported adjusting their use around practices, games, and recovery periods rather than allowing cannabis to interfere with performance.

Cannabis Education Is Lagging Behind

Despite increasing legalization across North America and changing attitudes toward cannabis, the study found that credible education has not kept pace. Many athletes reported receiving little or no meaningful education about cannabinoids during their careers. When cannabis was discussed by organizations, participants often described the information as focusing almost exclusively on risks or punishment rather than providing balanced, science-based education. As a result, athletes frequently sought information elsewhere. Interview participants described learning through:

• Conversations with teammates
• Internet searches and scientific literature
• Personal experimentation with different products and doses

While some athletes independently searched medical research, others admitted relying almost entirely on peer experiences because trustworthy clinical guidance was difficult to access. Researchers noted that this educational gap extends beyond athletes themselves. Previous research cited in the paper found that cannabis therapeutics receive very limited attention in many healthcare training programs, leaving numerous medical professionals feeling unprepared to counsel patients about cannabinoid therapies. Without knowledgeable healthcare guidance, athletes are left navigating complex decisions largely on their own.

Stigma Still Shapes Athlete Decisions

One of the strongest themes emerging from the interviews was the continued influence of cannabis stigma. Even as public attitudes become more accepting, many athletes feared being judged simply for asking questions about cannabis. Some worried that teammates, coaches, or management would view them as less committed to their sport. Others feared disciplinary action, damaged reputations, or losing playing opportunities if their cannabis use became known.

This stigma creates an unfortunate environment where honest conversations become difficult, potentially discouraging athletes from seeking medical advice when they need it most. Rather than promoting safer decision-making, fear of judgment may simply push discussions into private settings where evidence-based guidance is less likely to be available.

Trust in Team Medical Staff Remains Limited

Perhaps one of the study’s most concerning findings involved athlete relationships with team medical personnel. Many interview participants reported hesitating to discuss cannabis with trainers or team physicians because they feared the information might reach coaches or management. Instead, some athletes said they would be more comfortable speaking with healthcare providers who were entirely independent from their organizations.

Additionally, some athletes expressed that certain trainers lacked sufficient knowledge about cannabinoids or remained influenced by outdated views that treated cannabis solely as a harmful drug rather than a potential therapeutic option. This lack of trust creates a difficult situation, as athletes avoid conversations with the professionals best positioned to monitor medication interactions, discuss potential risks, or provide individualized guidance.

Improving cannabis education for physicians, athletic trainers, sports psychologists, and other medical professionals is needed to help foster more open communication while supporting athlete safety.

League Policies Continue to Send Mixed Messages

The study also highlights growing inconsistencies across professional sports, as cannabis policies differ substantially between leagues. Some organizations have relaxed restrictions or reduced penalties, while others continue maintaining stricter rules, and organizational responses have been inconsistent. These differences can leave athletes uncertain about what is permitted, especially when moving between leagues, countries, or levels of competition.

Participants also voiced their concerns about the disconnect between organizational attitudes toward cannabis and alcohol. Despite its known health risks, alcohol is widely accepted within sports culture, yet cannabis continues to carry greater stigma even when used for recovery or therapeutic purposes.

These inconsistencies, along with a lack of clear communication from the leagues, make it difficult for athletes who choose plant-based therapeutics to navigate this ever-evolving landscape.

Why Better Guidance Matters

Cannabis use is already occurring across elite contact sports, regardless of official messaging. That reality creates a need for accurate education rather than silence. Future efforts should focus on several priorities, including expanding evidence-based cannabinoid education for athletes and healthcare providers, encouraging confidential discussions between athletes and medical professionals, reducing stigma that discourages disclosure, and developing clearer, more consistent policies across organizations.

Creating environments where athletes can openly discuss cannabis without fear of punishment may ultimately support better healthcare decisions while allowing clinicians to provide individualized guidance based on the best available scientific evidence.

A Changing Conversation in Professional Sports

As cannabis legalization continues to expand and sports organizations reevaluate long-standing policies, conversations surrounding cannabinoid use are becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.

This study offers a rare look inside the experiences of athletes themselves, revealing that cannabis is already part of many elite competitors’ approaches to pain management, recovery, sleep, and mental well-being. At the same time, it exposes important shortcomings in education, communication, and organizational policy that may leave athletes making healthcare decisions without adequate professional support.

Ultimately, the conversation needs to move beyond simply asking whether athletes use cannabis, to how sports organizations can create evidence-based, confidential, and medically informed environments where athletes feel comfortable seeking guidance. As scientific understanding continues to evolve, bridging the gap between policy and practice may become one of the most important steps toward protecting athletes’ health.

^References:

^{1. Thompson ES, Alcorn J, Laprairie RB, Rohatinsky N, Dehghani P, Neary JP. Inside the Minds of Professional and Elite Athletes: A Qualitative Exploration of Perspectives on Cannabinoid Use in Contact Sports. Sports Health. 2026 Jul 7:19417381261460194. doi: 10.1177/19417381261460194. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 42415393; PMCID: PMC13346102. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42415393/}