World Anti-Doping Agency Removes CBD from Prohibited Substances List

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed CBD from its 2018 prohibited substances list and wisely added synthetic cannabinoids, such as Spice.

“Cannabidiol is no longer prohibited. Synthetic cannabidiol is not a cannabimimetic; however, cannabidiol extracted from cannabis plants may also contain varying concentrations of THC, which remains a prohibited substance,” the document states.

This is where athletes have to be very careful: the source of their CBD. They would be wise to have their CBD products tested to ensure that no THC remains.

The Nevada Athletic Commission and WADA’s threshold for THC is 150 nanograms per milliliter of blood.

This would, hypothetically, eliminate positive tests for people who had used marijuana in the weeks leading up to the games. During the London games in 2012, only four tests came back positive for marijuana during competition.

“Our information suggests that many cases do not involve game or event-day consumption. The new threshold level is an attempt to ensure that in-competition use is detected and not use during the days and weeks before competition,” said former WADA spokesperson Ben Nichols.

Last year, the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency investigated Ultimate Fighting Championship star Nate Diaz after he appeared at a post-fight press conference puffing on a CBD vape pen.

“It’s CBD,” Diaz said at the time. “It helps with the healing process and inflammation, stuff like that. So you want to get these for before and after the fights, training. It’ll make your life a better place.”

WADA’s view of recreational drugs has shifted over the years.

“It’s a very active process that…is always open to debate and is discussed regularly,” Dr. Alan Vernec, the agency’s medical director, told the Los Angeles Times.

Unlike performance-enhancers in the “Prohibited At All Times” category, substances classified as “in-competition” can be used during periods of training.

Athletes are penalized only if too much of the drug shows up in their systems, after a drug test at a meet or tournament.