Like many others, weed always seemed to be around growing up. I noticed friends and classmates started smoking around 5th & 6th grade, and later found out even my older brother was gettin after it, but personally, it was never my thing. There were offers, but little interest.
Part of that I think had to do with my Dad. He worked at our counties Drug & Alcohol Prevention department and had the same outlook on weed as Mr. Garrison, M'kay. Only to also find out later, even pops indulged back in the day...go figure.
The other part had a lot to do with athletics. I was no sports prodigy, but Backyard Basketball turned into going out for the school team then I somehow stumbled into Lacrosse; both of which I was never "the best". However, those who did hold that title, were ironically the one's getting stoned. With the education I had at the time, I thought no better way to get the competitive edge than to not smoke.
Anyways, I stayed "clean", took a huff Senior Year ("didn't get high"), and kept my eyes set on collegiate athletics.
I was lucky enough to get recruited by a growing program with a lot of talent. To quote the late great Charlie Murphy "these cats could ball", and believe it or not, majority smoked, and then some!
Fast forward through an ugly freshman year, I found myself on campus the day after our playoff run was cut short. It was late spring, all other students were long gone, and it was just a handful our team left.
One drink lead to another, and I found myself in a foggy dorm room shower with a couple of guys....[stay with me]. Bottom of the door plugged with a towel...and my teammate holding a glass pipe tightly packed with some herb.
This was it, I was going to get high, like ACTUALLY high for the first time. To my surprise, it worked....aaaaand I haven't stopped since.
NOW, I'm the first to say that cannabis is not for everyone... even I've questioned my consumption since that day. However, through trial/error, and self education, weed has helped improve my way of life in more ways than one.
Sure, I abused it at times, especially in my younger years, but through experience, I learned the benefits weed can have on the body, both physically and mentally.
The best first example I had was my Junior Year when I tore my ACL early into pre-season, "Fall Ball" as we called it. A couple weeks into the year and my season was over before it began. I was crushed. Thankfully, with the help of a huge support system, I quickly merged onto the road to recovery. However, it was no easy journey, and I can't help but point out the role cannabis played.
I can still recall the pain the first few days out of surgery. I was given Oxycodone to help, and instructed to "take them when it hurts." To no surprise, it hurt all the fucking time! So those 30 little space shuttles went pretty damn quick. So much so, the Dr. was hesitant to provide a refill as they "weren't to be consumed in just a few days". Inevitably, I got my re-up.
After transitioning back to school, weed was once again accessible. Bong rips were the new remedy and to my surprise, decreased the desire for the pills. Cannabis was helping in similar ways, but without the side-effects and cravings.
Apart from the physical benefits, there was a large mental aspect to it as well. Not only did It ease the mind a bit having a better idea of what was in my weed as apposed to the pills, but like I said, I was crushed. The depression of watching the whole season go by, pre/post-surgery, was REAL. Thankfully, weed was with me.
Admittedly, at the time I didn't know much in regard to the plant. I over indulged A LOT, and still tweak my consumption methods to this day. However, it sparked a desire to self education, which eventually led to working in the industry for a few years. During that time, I was able to meet many people much smarter than myself and absorbed all the knowledge I could. Through it all, one thing became abundantly clear; most individuals are dramatically misinformed about bud.
Thankfully with the national trend of Decriminalization and Legalization of Adult Use, the topic is being addressed. There's still much to be uncovered/re-discovered, but progress is being made. However, for cannabis curious athletes out there, I wanted to share this "quick" story, as well a some resources below to provide proof of progress as a whole and on the "field".
You can find more foundational information about cannabis, in my "The More You Know" post, and if you have any resources that have helped you along your journey, please comment and share. I'd love to keep the list growing!
Happy Huffs!!
-Johns Hopkins Uni. [2021]
-University of Colorado Boulder
- NLM [2021]
- Pop Sugar
- UCB
- VICE
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