High Prevalence of Cannabidiol Use Within Male Professional Rugby Union and League Players: A Quest for Pain Relief and Enhanced Recovery

• DOI: 10.1123/ijsnem.2020-0151
• Publication Date: 2020-07-30T10:38:08Z
• Authors: Andreas M. Kasper; S. Andy Sparks; Matthew Hooks; Matthew Skeer; Benjamin Webb; Houman Nia; James P. Morton; Graeme L. Close
• Keywords: Adult; Doping in Sports; Male; Analgesics; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Adolescent; Football; Myalgia; Recovery of Function; RC1200; Young Adult; 03 medical and health sciences; 0302 clinical medicine; Sleep Aids, Pharmaceutical; Cannabidiol; Humans; Sleep

Rugby is characterized by frequent high-intensity collisions, resulting in muscle soreness. Players consequently seek strategies to reduce soreness and accelerate recovery, with an emerging method being cannabidiol (CBD), despite anti-doping risks. The prevalence and rationale for CBD use in rugby has not been explored; therefore, we recruited professional male players to complete a survey on CBD. Goodness of fit chi-square (χ2) was used to assess CBD use between codes and player position. Effects of age on use were determined using χ2 tests of independence. Twenty-five teams provided 517 player responses. While the majority of players had never used CBD (p < .001, V = 0.24), 26% had either used it (18%) or were still using it (8%). Significantly more CBD use was observed in rugby union compared with rugby league (p = .004, V = 0.13), but player position was not a factor (p = .760, V = 0.013). CBD use increased with players’ age (p < .001, V = 0.28), with mean use reaching 41% in the players aged 28 years and older category (p < .0001). The players using CBD primarily used the Internet (73%) or another teammate (61%) to obtain information, with only 16% consulting a nutritionist. The main reasons for CBD use were improving recovery/pain (80%) and sleep (78%), with 68% of players reporting a perceived benefit. These data highlight the need for immediate education on the risks of CBD, as well as the need to explore the claims regarding pain and sleep.