Many famous athletes who are household names come from a time when weed was not only illegal, but also damning. Imagine doing a full day of running around, pushing your body to the brink of physical endurance only to then come home and NOT smoke weed. Eye roll!

Sha’Carri Richardson 

Sha’Carri gets to go first in this article because she didn’t get the chance to win the gold medal last year at the Olympics.

On track to be a top three runner in the 2021 Olympics, Richardson is one of the fastest women in the world, and was a crowd favorite going into the games. However, after her Olympic Trials race, Sha’Carri’s drug test came back showing positive for THC. Richardson was suspended for 30 days which cost her her spot in the Tokyo women’s 100m race.

When we hear about doping scandals regarding sports, the majority of the time they are steroid related. Most people do not think of THC as a performance enhancing drug, including Sha’Carri.

“Btw THC definitely is not a performance enhance!!!!” Said Richardson on Twitter.

Tragically Sha’Carri Richardson’s mom passed away, and Sha’Carri had used marijuana as a way to cope with this untimely and tragic loss.

“Rules are rules” says Joe Biden, regarding Sha’Carri’s situation. Why do narcs love rules so much? 

There’s always 2025! And the whole world is already rooting for Sha’Carri. 

Megan Rapinoe 

You know Megan Rapinoe as the fiery, short-haired, openly gay female soccer player who helped lead the US women’s soccer team to victory in four World Cups, four Olympic gold metals, in addition to a majority of overall wins as a team since 1985. 

When Colin Kaepernick kneeled in protest during the national anthem in 2016, Megan Rapinoe followed suit. Megan has been outspoken about equal pay for women and female athletes. She has also exchanged some verbal blows with the former president, Donald Grump. 

So wouldn’t you know she’s got some skin in the CBD game! That’s right, she and her sister Rachel are working to normalize the use of CBD for athletes to use in place of painkillers and to help aid their physical recovery. 

Their brand is called “Mendi”, which is a series of recovery products, sleep aids, and anti-anxiety gummies that help athletes to relax after a game or a practice, or even before bed so they can perform at their absolute best the next time they hit the field.

Athletes like Sue Bird, and Elijah Muhammad have signed on for this all new, all-natural CBD adventure. However, during the Tokyo Olympics Megan Rapinoe was not allowed to bring in her CBD secret weapon because of Japan’s strict cannabis laws.

Maybe in the interest of inclusion Megan, Rachel, and Mendi should invite Sha’Carri on board for this new era of cannabis use and CBD which is accepted in sports. 

Marshawn Lynch 

You know Marshawn Lynch. He’s the guy who once in a post-game interview repeated the phrase, “I’m just here so I won’t get fined.” 29 times. Love that guy!

Marshawn is a Oakland, California native and was the former running back for the Seattle Seahawks (and the Buffalo Bills, and the Oakland Raiders), where he earned the nickname “Beast Mode”. Marshawn played for some twelve seasons in the NFL, until he retired in 2016. Since then has made a hard pivot into the entertainment and entrepreneurial world. 

Marshawn has appeared on TV shows, The League, Westworld, Brooklyn 99, Running Wild With Bear Grylls, and most recently, Murderville, an improvised murder mystery comedy now streaming on Netflix. Marshawn has also done motion capture and voice over work for video games like Call Of Duty Black Ops. Starting to ring a bell?

Now he has a badass weed company of his very own called Dodi Blunts that promotes social justice and raises up black and brown voices. Dodi blunts is partnered with The Last Prisoner Project in the Bay Area, which is a non-profit cannabis organization and is dedicated to cannabis related criminal justice reform.

In supporting Dodi Bunts you are helping to counteract the harm that The War On Drugs has brought to black and brown communities. Dodi wishes to expunge cannabis records, raise awareness and money for local causes, and support local arts and culture in underfunded and under-represented cities. 

Ross Rebagliati

You might remember our friend Ross Rebagliati as the Canadian snowboarder who in the 1998 Winter Olympics won the gold medal in the men’s giant slalom. This was the very first year that snowboarding was introduced to the Olympics in Nagano, Japan.

Following Ross’ victory was a crushing marijuana scandal. Ross was stripped of his medal by the International Olympic Committee due to the fact that his drug test came back showing 17.8 ng/mL THC metabolites, which is slightly higher than the 15 ng/mL threshold deemed legal at the time by the International Ski Federation. 

Ross was put on the no-fly list, and Saturday Night Live even did a sketch spoofing what happened to Ross. Comedian Jim Breuer plays a steryotypical forgetful high-guy who can’t stop singing Smash Mouth and talking about Doritos.

The Canadian Olympic Association appealed Ross’ case and Ross was given his gold medal back because THC was not considered a performance-enhancing drug. Lol. Little did they know, “Your body is made for cannabinoids. That might be a controversial thing to say, but it’s the truth.” says Ross in a YouTube video where he takes us through his supplement routine and explains the many health benefits of CBD and cannabinoids for the human body.

Fast forward to 2013, Ross Rebagliati opened his own dispensary and line of products in Canada called “Ross’ Gold” and is embracing the cannabis skeletons of his past. He has his own line of badass glass wear, and Ross is working to destigmatize the narrative that cannabis has negative effects on athletes.

We are entering an era where athletes are looking for more natural ways to relieve stress, deal with inflammation, get good rest, and curb performance anxiety. Without athletes like Ross going down for weed in the early days, we would never be at this advanced stage of learning when it comes to the true benefits of marijuana.

Michael Phelps 

This dude is on the list because while other athletes might admit to smoking, no athlete has ever been caught doing a mad bong rip like Michael Phelps. 

The 28-time Olympic medalist was suspended for three months six months after the Beijing Olympics. And he lost his sponsor, Kelloggs. A pretty tame slap on the wrist, but a slap on the wrist nonetheless. 

It is worth mentioning that Michael Phelps got busted for weed AFTER the Olympics were over and he was already a highly decorated athlete. 

In Conclusion 

Cannabis is a tricky topic to be open about because it’s still such a polarizing topic. If an active athlete tests positive for THC it is considered a health risk and goes against “the spirit of the sport”, but the World Anti-Doping Agency is alright with athletes using CBD. 

Both THC and CBD were banned until 2018.

While there are many retired athletes who are honest about their use of marijuana and/or CBD to help with pain and all the other great things it helps with, there are still only a few current working athletes who are playing the field (of weed).