Athletes operate at the bleeding intersection of human performance, popular culture, cannabis policy and the law – with collisions often taking place explosively in the public eye.

Use of cannabis by professional athletes is common and widespread, despite the continued legal and career risks. (Amateur athletes and weekend warriors, too!)

Why do so many athletes choose cannabis? And how are athletes a bellwether for the general population?

The effects of cannabis are very personalized and varied from one person to another, including an individual’s minimum effective dose.

This is why cannabis-savvy physicians recommend that consumers should use a process of self-titration: optimizing your own individualized regimen.

The purity and safety of East Fork’s flower is of utmost importance to us. After surviving the widespread wildfires in our region and bringing in our 2020 harvest, we undertook additional testing on our flower to determine whether the smoke and ash had created any potential health hazards.

As Oregon voters consider our ballots this fall, the East Fork team urges you to vote “Yes” on ballot measures 109 and 110. These two progressive reforms, in tandem, will fund comprehensive addiction treatment services and decriminalize personal possession of small amounts of drugs (Measure 110), while also creating a framework for legal psilocybin-assisted therapy to aid in healing from depression, trauma, addiction, and other mental health issues (Measure 109).

Can cannabis and CBD have unintended interactions with pharmaceuticals or other medications?

The answer is yes. There is the chance of a drug interaction any time you consume more than one active substance, including CBD, cannabis, over-the-counter medicines, and even certain foods and beverages, including alcohol and caffeine.

When it comes to educating yourself about using cannabis therapeutically, you can learn a lot of great information through programs such as CBD Certified. However, these kinds of programs do not constitute medical advice, there may be times when you want medical advice that is specific to your personal health situation.

Todd Vogt has been a competitive rower since 1992, and was diagnosed with Early-Onset Parkinson’s Disease in 2018. Todd was designated a competitive Paralympic rower in 2019 and explored many faucets of traditional medicine before finding CBD and the benefits it provided him.

Anna Symonds, East Fork Cultivars’ Director of Education wrote a letter to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) on behalf of Athletes for CARE asking WADA to remove cannabis and THC from the in-competition prohibited list, read the letter here.

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) recently released its 2018 "List of Prohibited Substances and Methods" with a new exception for the use of CBD. WADA governs which substances are approved and banned for the Olympics and sports organizations worldwide, so this is progress for athletes.