Patterns and perceptions of cannabis use with physical activity

Abstract

26Abstract 27 Background and Aims: Past research has shown that cannabis use is common among adults in the U.S. In 28 addition, physical activity (PA), such as exercise, is often a component of many American's daily 29 routines. Anecdotal information suggests that a subset of individuals use cannabis in conjunction with 30 PA, but the evidence base is lacking. The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency, methods of 31 ingestion, strain types, and timing (before, during or after) of cannabis use in combination with PA. We 32 also sought to better understand the types of PA that cannabis is being used with and reasons why 33 individuals may use cannabis with PA. 34 Methods and Results: A brief survey was developed and was administered online to community residents 35 (N = 105) who reported use of cannabis with PA. Analysis of survey responses revealed that participants 36 were using cannabis in combination with a wide range of physical activities. While cannabis use was 37 reported before, during, and after PA, the majority of participants (92%) reported use of cannabis before 38 PA. Most participants (77%) believed that the use of cannabis products with their PA had a positive effect 39 on their performance. The strain of cannabis used with PA was dependent on timing of cannabis use 40 before, during, or after PA. Although participants reported a range of reasons for using cannabis before, 41 during, or after PA, pain management was the only reason reported across all time periods. 59Phytocannabinoids, the active components in cannabis, mimic the effects of the endogenous 60 cannabinoids in the body (2). Delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) are the two 61 most abundant phytocannabinoids present in cannabis products, and have received the most attention 62 from the scientific community. However, THC and CBD are just two of more than 100 known 63 phytocannabinoids (3) and the effects of these compounds have yet to be fully elucidated. Products of the 64 cannabis plant can further be described by their cultivar, or strain, and are often separated into two 65 general categories: Cannabis Indica and Cannabis Sativa (4), with varying hybrids of the two strains.66 Among medical cannabis users, common reasons for the use of Cannabis Indica include pain 67 management and as an aid in sedation and sleep, while Cannabis Sativa users often prefer this strain for 68 its perceived induction of euphoria and energy enhancement (5). Although exploration of the medicinal 69 and psychoactive effects of cannabis products is still in its infancy, interest related to cannabis use on 70 physical activity (PA) is also emerging. 71Within the U.S., just over half (51.7%) of adults over the age of 18 years met the federal PA 72 guidelines of at least 150-minutes of moderate or 75-minutes of vigorous activity per week (6). Currently, 73 although there is minimal research describing how and why the physically active general population is 74 using cannabis with PA, there have been several studies investigating c...

Acute Effect of Physical Exercise on Negative Affect in Borderline Personality Disorder: A Pilot Study

“…Since there is a high prevalence of substance use disorder in adults with BPD (Kienast et al, 2014) and substance use is linked to less PE (Abrantes and Blevins, 2019;Lisano et al, 2018;Martens et al, 2006;Werneck et al, 2019), three questionnaires were administered to assess substance use in our sample. The Cigarette Dependence Scale (CDS) evaluate cigarette addiction with 5 items answered on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 to 5.…”

Chronic cannabis consumption and physical exercise performance in healthy adults: a systematic review

“…Acute cannabis consumption may reduce exercise pain and thus increase endurance (Huestis et al 2011 ), but chronic use does not. In survey research, most people using cannabis with exercise reported reduced pain and/or increased their enjoyment of the exercise activity (Lisano et al 2019a ; YorkWilliams et al 2019 ; Zeiger et al 2019 ).…”

“…The remaining two studies relied entirely on self-reported cannabis use. Lisano et al ( 2019a , 2020 ) specified that participants be physically active; Maksud and Baron used labourers for their sample, who are generally active in their job; Wade, Gilbart, et al did not select participants based on fitness related factors. Three studies used a treadmill for VO2 measurement, while Maksud and Baron used a bicycle ergometer.…”

“…Substantially fewer endorsements were seen for performance and motivation. Lisano et al ( 2019a ) also surveyed cannabis users about exercise-related use, finding the most reported reason was pain management. In contrast to YorkWilliams et al, 77% of Lisano, Phillips, et al’s sample felt that their performance was enhanced by cannabis, with many respondents suggesting focus or “flow” effects as their reason for using before or during exercise.…”

Acute effect of physical exercise on negative affect in borderline personality disorder: A pilot study

“…Since there is a high prevalence of substance use disorder in adults with BPD ( Kienast et al, 2014 ) and substance use is linked to less PE ( Abrantes & Blevins, 2019 ; Lisano et al, 2018 ; Martens et al, 2006 ; Werneck et al, 2019 ), three questionnaires were administered to assess substance use in our sample. The Cigarette Dependence Scale (CDS) evaluates cigarette addiction with 5 items answered on a 5-point Likert scale from 1 to 5.…”