Patrick J. Bird, Ph.D. Keeping Fit Column 512 1996 Q. Can occasionally smoking mar1juana hurt athletic performance? A. "The athlete who uses mar1juana, even on a casual basis, experiences very significant effects that have a direct bearing on athletic performance," says Roy T. Bergman, M.D. Bergman, who has served on the medical staff for U.S. Olympic and Pan American Games teams, points to studies showing that mar1juana decreases exercise capacity. It inhibits sweating and temperature control. The drug impairs coordination, steadiness and accuracy. It slows reaction time and interferes with judgment of speed, time and space relationships. mar1juana can also cause short and long-term memory loss and prolong learning time. In addition, regular use is strongly associated with apathy, loss of ambition, difficulty in concentrating, and a decline in academic performance. These negative effects have not stopped all athletes from taking the drug, however. For example, 36% of athletes involved in NCAA competition had used mar1juana during the previous year according to one study. And in a survey of elite women athletes, 17% of the respondents said they too had used the drug in the last year. Other studies have concluded that mar1juana is second behind alcohol as the substance most commonly abused by athletes. mar1juana users often argue that a smoke now and again, or perhaps a spiked chocolate chip cookie, is less harmful to performance than alcohol. However, both can be quite damaging to success in sport. And in one respect, mar1juana may be more of a physical threat than alcohol: The psychoactive ingredient in mar1juana, THC, enters the fat tissue where it can be gradually released into the blood to cause effects 24 to 36 hours after the drug was last used. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Monday, September 6 mar1juana Editor's note: This is the second of an eight-week series of articles examining the effects of commonly abused substances on athletic performance and overall health. Dr. Gary Wadler, a New York University School of Medicine professor and lead author of the book "Drugs and the Athlete", has also won the International Olympic Committee President's Prize for his work in the area of performance-enhancing drugs in competitive sports. He joined us to address the issue of mar1juana and sports performance. What is mar1juana and how does it affect the body? mar1juana is an illegal drug produced from the dried leaves, stems, seeds and/or flowers of the hemp plant, cannabis sativa, that is usually smoked by the user. There are many slang terms for mar1juana, including, pot, grass, weed and Mary Jane. "All forms of mar1juana, including the stronger sensemilla and hashish varieties, are mind-altering (psychoactive) drugs," says Wadler. "They all contain THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the main active chemical in mar1juana that effects changes in the brain of the user." mar1juana's effects depend on the strength or potency of the THC, which is only one of more than 400 chemicals present in mar1juana. Highly fat-soluble, THC and other related chemicals rapidly enter the brain and fat stores of the body. DISTURBING TRENDS According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA): Among high school seniors surveyed in 1998, mar1juana use had increased by about 56% since 1991. The proportion of those seniors who believed regular use of mar1juana was harmful in 1998 had dropped by about 26 percent since 1991. Within minutes of inhalation of mar1juana smoke, blood levels are achieved, with peak physiologic and subjective effects occurring in 20 to 30 minutes and subjective effects lasting two to four hours. Increasing in potency over the years, mar1juana is, by far, the most widely used illicit substance in the United States. What are the effects of mar1juana on performance? Impairs skills requiring eye-hand coordination and a fast reaction time Reduces motor coordination, tracking ability and perceptual accuracy Impairs concentration, and time appears to move more slowly Skill impairment may last up to 24 to 36 hours after usage Reduces maximal exercise capacity resulting in increased fatiguability mar1juana has no performance-enhancing potential Because mar1juana is stored in the body fat, its effects may be long-lasting. "It has been shown that performance skills can be impaired for as long as 24 hours after mar1juana usage," says Wadler, "which casts doubt on the commonly held belief that the social use of mar1juana the evening prior to an athletic event will not affect performance." What are the short-term adverse health effects of mar1juana? Memory and learning problems Difficulty concentrating Perception distortions involving vision, sound, touch and time Thinking and problem-solving difficulties Increased heart rate and drop in blood pressure Sudden feelings of anxiety, including panic attacks, and paranoia Runny nose, sore throat, wheezing What are the long-term adverse health effects of mar1juana? "Because mar1juana users often inhale the unfiltered smoke deeply and then hold it in their lungs as long as possible, chronic mar1juana use may play a role in the development of chronic respiratory problems," says Wadler. Animal studies have suggested that THC may adversely affect the immune system. Additionally, long-term use has been associated with motivational problems including apathy, impaired judgment, loss of ambition and an inability to carry out long-term plans. Can mar1juana be addictive? Chronic mar1juana use has been associated with the development of tolerance in which the user may have a tendency to increase the amount of mar1juana used. "Physical and psychological dependence in frequent users is associated with signs and symptoms of withdrawal upon discontinuation," according to Wadler. "These signs and symptoms begin about 10 hours after discontinuation and peak at 48 hours and include anxiety, insomnia, sweating, loss of appetite and craving for THC." According to a report from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), almost 196,000 people entering drug treatment programs reported mar1juana as their primary drug of abuse, indicating that they needed help to stop using the drug. Is mar1juana included in drug testing in sports? There is not a uniform policy regarding drug testing in either professional or amateur sports. "Though not explicitly banned by the International Olympic Committee (IOC)", says Wadler, "a working group of the IOC has been formed to review and make recommendations about the use of mar1juana in Olympic sports." It is banned by the NCAA and various national governing bodies. Because of its high solubility in body fat, mar1juana can be detected for as long as two to four weeks by current drug testing methods.
He Legrouper watch the cussing man, Dakota gets really upset about that stuff. That was such a dorky story you just posted. I can't really picture a power lifter hanging out on a baskeball message board. Tell you what, since you obvioulsy know very little about basketball why don't you go start up a message board for other roided up powerlifters to go onto and you guys can discuss those gay little outfits ya'll love to wear so much. .
Because people like Legrouper are ready to sell you out and get you fired the first time you criticize him. I would love to be more controversial, i think it helps the flow of these threads by actually starting a conversation. Sports is controversial, and thats why we love talking about it. Take a look at Johnson guaranteeing a win over the cheifs this week. Yeah they will lose and he is an idiot, but if they win, he can talk **** all week and there is nothing anyone can really say about it. Back to my main point, nothing on here should really be taken personally or seriously. If i trash you in a thread, what am i really saying about you. DaDakota is an idiot who has nothing more to do with his time than sit at his computer, hit the bong, and wait for replies on clutchfans.net, not to mention he smells bad. See, while i may have offended your username, you are safe to walk around town and not worry about stupid comments on an internet message board. I, on the other hand, have to censor my coments cause i messed up the whole registration form and I dont want to get dogged on as a "newbie" (cause we all know they get hated on pretty often) and because people on here take stuff too seriously and threaten your carrer. Anyways, I'm the idiot and i accept it, but people should be entitled to express their opinions and by making them controversial, its pretty much just entertainment. P.s. I have no idea who DD is or what he does with his time, and i'm sure he doesnt smell, or so we would hope, cause thats gross.
Oh my lord Ben, don't oversensationalize my sarcasm from above. I was pointing out the complete stupidity of someone coming on this board, bragging about working for a well known athletic personality in this town, and then saying that athletes can perform better on marajuana and also telling other grown men to eat **** and calling them ****ing morons just because we used the words r****d and junior. I get the strange feeling like this is turning into a pot smokers vs. non pot smokers thread. If that is the case lets open something up in the D&D. Otherwise let's get back to the point of what the deal with Mo is and what he did to get a 10 game suspension and what other surprises we can expect we can expect from this "THC enhanced" baller.
Dude, I don't think LeGrouper would have really done that. He was just trying to get that guy to back off from insulting other posters the way he did. I don't think that "threat" was necessary or a good idea, but I am pretty sure LeGrouper did not mean to actually do that. Plus, that jdlee guy indeed does have a lot of time to post for working 80 hour weeks.
Yeah it is hard to look at papers from Doctors completely dismissing your point.... Which directly relates to Mo Taylor...
I just posted two papers on the topic, you don't want to read the research papers. I can easily post hundreds more but I didn't want to take up server space.
I have it on pretty good authority that Maurice's suspension is directly related to a medication he took while healing his shoulder. Hopefully this will get sorted out soon, and we can all look back at ourselves and realize that a lot of people jumped to a faulty conclusion. Also, apparently Eddie is truly in a hospital for mental issues - but is still working out and being trained. Interesting, eh? --Ready2Go
Yeah, jdlee80. You angrily demanded from LeGrouper that he 'answer you!' about reports that show how weed affects performance, and when he answers, you say you don't want to 'read a research paper' ? Hmm.. less than 100 posts to his name... claiming to be a high-falooting guy with a pro sports team....fuelling a heated discussion on a bbs... ..anybody else smell a Troll? -- droxford
If this is really true then the league has really f'd up and screwed the Rockets our of ten games of play from their second highest paid player. One would assume the only reason why they would make the suspension immediate, thus eliminating any chance of an effective appeal, is because it would be a positive test for a substance previoulsy tested positive for.
Wow. Are you really, finally willing to allow for the possibility that this could be anything other than Mo's fault? Several days and several thread pages after the Chronicle first reported that that might be the case? Well, I guess that didn't take TOO long... This guy's saying what Feigen, Robertson, the players union and several of Mo's teammates have been saying for a while now. Have you sufficiently vented at Mo (who may have done nothing to deserve your ire this time and may be just like you - a former pothead who quit for the good of his career and his team) that you're finally ready to consider the possibility that the league screwed up? That's hopeful. I'm sure Mo would appreciate your grudging support.
... or a banned substance like Vicodin ... My impression is that a screw-up or miscommunication occurred - not sure who's fault it was - but clearly we are going to pay the price no matter what. I totally agree that the league should support some form of appeal process whereby a player would be able to have an immediate investigation without delay. It seems crazy that a mistake on someone' part could result in nearly 1/8 of a season being lost for a player. Note, I am not guaranteeing that the situation is exactly as I described - it is something I "heard" from a reliable source. As such, it is subject to all the normal disclaimers of "insider information". --Ready2Go
Ready2Go, as in troll, ready to go when help is needed for someone to come in and recollect some anonymous"authority" that knows the inside scoop on Mo Taylor AND Eddie Griffin....
Excuse me? What are you trying to say? I am merely passing on information as I heard it. This board is lacking insiders since the regime shift. Most would agree that this kind of perspective is useful, true? I am no troll, and I want you to re-evaluate your attack. --Ready2Go (as in Ready for the Rockets to Go 2 the Finals).
Just two questions...what is the NEW "insider" info contained in your post - and why should we believe you when you say you have a "reliable source"?
Yeah, you just decided to post your fourth post in over a year to jump in with your insider info.... how many puppets do you have lying in wait?
