Anthony Joshua has spoken openly about the time he got arrested by British police, charged with cannabis possession, and subsequently banned from the Olympics. The now four-belt world heavyweight champion was a young buck back in the day. He was known around his estate in Watford for being something of a bad boy. But he was trying to change his life. Joshua had begun a promising boxing career when things went badly wrong for him. An arrest and charge for cannabis possession could have seen AJ’s future in jeopardy. Luckily for him, the incident only strengthened his desire to reform himself. Discussing what happened, the 30-year-old made a recent appearance on Apple Music’s Songs for Life. He responded to this question from the host. Going back to 18 years old, taking a loss, or having a potential catastrophe in your life at this stage isn’t foreign to you. I was hoping you could take me to the moment where you are on the street, and you get stopped by the police. “Oh, wow. So I was boxing for the Olympic team for Great Britain. It was a year before the Olympics. And at this stage, I was earning about £500 a month. “And you know, I’d seen more money than that before anyway, so it wasn’t stuff that could keep me away from opportunities that came my way at that stage in my life.

Anthony Joshua explains Olympic team ban for cannabis possession arrest | WBN – World Boxing News

Source: https://www.worldboxingnews.net/2020/09/11/anthony-joshua-ban-cannabis-arrest/?mc_cid=4f9536b233&mc_eid=9d689a81c4

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Well knock me over with a feather – who’d have guessed !

Approximately 35% of UFC and E-Sports fans consume cannabis — more than fans of any other sport, according to a recent poll.

Full story

UFC and E-Sports Fans Consume More Cannabis Than Other Sports Fans

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For some reason aged 54 he’s going back in the ring and the first thing he’s doing is cutting back his weed intake.. or so he told joe Rogan

Mike Tyson spoke on ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ podcast and touched upon several aspects of his personal and professional life. “Iron Mike” is set to make his return to Heavyweight boxing at 54 against Roy Jones Jr. The fight will span a duration of eight rounds, and the commission will overlook certain measures to ensure the safety of the aging fighters.

Tyson will return to action after a 15-year hiatus. He last competed in a losing effort back in 2005. Since then, he has undergone significant changes to his personal lifestyle and has ventured into the cannabis industry. He has used his platform to discuss the benefits of marijuana consumption and has opened up a discussion about the same.

Furthermore, he has explored the podcast world himself by creating the massively popular ‘Hot Boxin’ podcast around the aforementioned theme.

Mike Tyson provides some insight

The megastar boxer explained that he no longer consumes weed as he sets himself to prepare for Roy Jones Jr. He touched upon the discipline it requires to refrain from any indulgences when preparing the mind and body for combat.

Read more at  https://www.essentiallysports.com/boxing-news-ive-pretty-much-stopped-mike-tyson-details-lifestyle-changes/

The post “I’ve Pretty Much Stopped” – Mike Tyson Details Lifestyle Changes BY DARRYL PINTO first appeared on Wake and Bake.

The post Canada Will Officially Stop Drug Testing Student-Athletes for Weed first appeared on Wake and Bake.

For decades, the relationship between cannabis and sports was non-existent. Every major league except Major League Baseball has a ban on cannabis use. And the “character” issues associated with Black athletes and drug use has always been volatile.

Luckily, the ‘20s are shaping up to be a new era for cannabis and the Black athlete. From investments to deals with TV networks, Black athletes are quickly becoming champions of both sports and cannabis. Check out these athletes making history in the cannabis industry.

THE GOLDEN INVESTMENT

Being a gold medal Olympian makes you one of the best athletes in the world. And putting your face behind CBD might take you back to the #1 spot. 

GABBY DOUGLAS

When she’s not winning gold medals at the Summer Olympics, Gabby Douglas is making golden investments. Teaming up with other professional athletes, Gabby invested in Motive CBD. Motive’s product line is geared towards athletes, but with CBD popping up in every gentrified neighborhood, Gabby’s investment might win her a medal.

As one of the most respected and decorated athletes in America, Gabby could be a catalyst for future endorsements for the woman athlete. With topical creams and capsules focused on muscle and joint support, it wouldn’t be surprising if other individual women athletes like Serena Williams, Allyson Felix, or fellow gymnasts Simone Biles follow in her footsteps. Keep raising the bar higher and higher, Gabby.

HIGH HOOPS

Basketball players are some of the most influential athletes in the world. It’s no surprise that current and former NBA players are finding more than one way to get into cannabis.

KEVIN DURANT

After joining his former rival, winning back-to-back championships and heckling fans on Twitter with his burner account, Kevin Durant could definitely use a smoke. The NBA still has an active ban on cannabis use, thought they won’t test during the COVID bubble tournament. But KD hasn’t let the ban stop him from making investments. His venture capitalist firm, Thirty Five Ventures, has invested in both cannabis ordering technology and cannabis venture capital.

Related

Colleges ease athlete punishments for cannabis

Durant has spoken out about marijuana, saying “there shouldn’t even be a huge topic around it.” And as one of the best and most visible players in the game, Durant’s views on cannabis are pivotal if the NBA is going to stop testing players for weed.

If the best player can get high and put up high scores, shouldn’t we all be able to?

MATT BARNES & STEPHEN JACKSON

Former NBA champions Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson were some of the most competitive and intimidating players in the league. Unless you knew them personally, you would’ve never known that for a lot of their games…they were high.

Since retirement, the two ballers have been very vocal about recreational and therapeutic cannabis use in sports. Apparently, some of our favorite hoopers are firing up more than jump shots before the game.

Barnes and Jackson have turned their advocacy into a multimedia endeavor with a video podcast called “All the Smoke.” Partnering with Showtime, the stoned duo talks to current and former NBA players, entertainers, and celebrities. And since the NBA season has been on a COVID-19 pause, “All the Smoke” has become a top basketball podcast.

Related

Former NBAer Cliff Robinson Debuts ‘Uncle Cliffy’ Pre-Rolls in Portland

NBA fans have never complained about players appearing to be high on the court, so maybe Barnes and Jackson are the ambassadors the league needs to reverse the ban on cannabis.

AL HARRINGTON

In the early 2000s, a NBA player being suspended for smoking weed was basically a PR death sentence. The perception of the ‘hip-hop’ generation and marijuana was not a healthy one. Hell, players couldn’t even wear basketball jerseys to the game because it lacked ‘professionalism.’ Well, that stigma has changed, at least off the court, and former NBA player Al Harrington is a big part of the movement.

Related

The Roll-Up #151: NBA star Al Harrington turns cannabis entrepreneur

A non-smoker until 2008, Harrington immediately realized the positive effects of cannabis. The mental health improvements and CBD creams post-surgery helped Harrington transition from being known as an ex-player to a true stoner. His cannabis company, Viola, produces in California, Oregon, Michigan, and Colorado.

Along with selling products, Viola is focused on increasing minority ownership, reinvesting in the community and creating opportunities for equity in the industry. Harrington never won the MVP award, but the advocacy work he’s done definitely deserves recognition.

GARY PAYTON

Gary Payton was never the tallest player while he played in the NBA, but he was known for being the biggest mouth in the league. The hall of famer, Olympian, and NBA champion is a cultural icon because of his game and his trash talk, but recently he’s done something no other NBA player has ever done. The Oakland native inked a licensing deal with cannabis lifestyle brand, Cookies.

The Gary Payton strain is a cross between The Y and Snowman, two of Cookies’ most sought after strains. Known for its “loud” smell, Gary Payton could run you about $70 for 3.5 grams.  But the dope packaging designs and the connection to this sports star probably make that price point manageable for superfans. Will Gary open the door for more athletes to use their likeness for cannabis? The pothead sports fan inside of me is excited to see.

CANNABIS’ GRIDIRON GLADIATORS

Week after week, the gladiators of the NFL put their bodies and their futures on the line for the love of the game. But what people don’t see are the measures that players go through in order to perform.

EUGENE MONROE

Eugene Monroe was one of the best football players in the world. The high school All-American became one of the best offensive tackles in college football. And as a top 10 pick in the NFL draft, Eugene made his presence felt on the professional level too.

The other thing that Eugene felt was the physical effects of the game. Chronic Trauma Encephalopathy, better known as CTE, is a brain injury detected in 90% of former NFL players examined.

Related

Pro athletes eager to embrace cannabis, but are leagues listening?

The use of opioids to help with the physicality of the game has been commonplace in the league for years. But In 2016, Monroe became the first active player to advocate for cannabis use in the NFL – disregarding the opioid trend.

Now, as a member of the NFLPA Pain Management Committee and the Athletic Ambassador for Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, Monroe is taking a stand against the mistreatment of all players. Hopefully, Monroe can help push the NFL to a place of progress and equity for all players in the league.

CALVIN JOHNSON & ROB SIMS

Yet again, two former Black players are stepping up to the plate, doing things with their earnings from the billion-dollar behemoth football industry. Calvin Johnson Jr. and Rob Sims aren’t the first NFL players to advocate for cannabis use, but they are the first to work with Harvard University. The two former players created Primitiv Group, a cannabis research company fighting the opioid crisis and finding the benefits of the flower.

Based in Michigan, Primitiv is going to work with Harvard on how medical marijuna effects CTE. Since can’t be confirmed until death, science needs to get ahead of it by learning more. The behavior of players can be seen and felt in their everyday life, and it’s easy for serious symptoms to become commonplace. Disturbing behaviors like memory loss are normal for players who have been banging their brains inside of a helmet for 10+ years and are beginning to develop CTE.

With the trend towards federal legalization, there’s only a matter of time before the NFL finally realizes what must be done. Cannabis isn’t worse than the pills. If we can’t see eye to eye about that, then there will be unnecessary pain for future players.

Source:  https://www.leafly.com/news/industry/black-athletes-trailblazing-cannabis-industry

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LOS ANGELES, CA. (July 6, 2020) – The Premier Lacrosse League (PLL) announced today that Mendi will be named as the Official CBD Partner of the upcoming PLL Championship Series, scheduled to take place July 25 – August 9 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

As part of the partnership, the PLL and its medical team will feature and incorporate innovative Mendi CBD products during the PLL Championship Series. Additionally, the agreement will see Mendi and the PLL combine to create numerous inventive digital activations incorporating league stars and current Mendi ambassadors Jules Heningburg (Redwoods LC), Trevor Baptiste (Atlas LC), Scott Ratliff (Archers LC), and Adam Ghitelman (Archers LC).

“We are delighted to welcome Mendi as an official partner ahead of the PLL Champion Series,” says PLL Co-Founder and CEO Mike Rabil. “Our athletes will be competing at their highest physical level this summer and we will look to Mendi to aid our athletes as they chase a title. Beyond the field, we look forward to working with Mendi to create original content that will captivate our audience and showcase their fantastic products.”

“The PLL has been on Mendi’s radar since day one,” says Rachael Rapinoe, Mendi CEO. “Paul and Mike Rabil looked at the landscape of the sport and knew there was an opportunity to not only better the game, but truly get the most out of the players. Our core values very much align in that way – to build a brighter future for sports. In this case, for lacrosse. Mendi’s role in this partnership is to improve athletes’ lives using nature’s best tools. We’re here to be their recovery partner and help the 2020 PLL Championship Series be as successful as possible.

The post Now Even Lacrosse Teams Are Being Sponsored By CBD Companies ! first appeared on Wake and Bake.

If you asked the average American what stereotypes come with regular marijuana use, you will probably hear a litany of words like “lazy” or “slacker.” It is well-established in American culture that smoking pot makes you unmotivated to do anything productive. Have you ever wondered how true the stereotype is? Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder did look into this, and their findings don’t mesh up with the popular image of the lazy stoner.

“Body mass index (BMI) of cannabis users was significantly lower than non-users,” reads the study, which was published this month in the peer-reviewed American Journal of Health Behavior. “These preliminary data suggest that current cannabis use status is not associated with a negative impact on fitness and efforts to increase exercise in sedentary older adults.” Not only did the study find that cannabis doesn’t negatively impact fitness, it found that regular cannabis users consistently outperform their non-using peers.

The study in question is limited to Americans ages 60 and older, as “adults over the age of 50 are the fastest growing population of cannabis users in the US and those 65 years and older exhibiting the greatest increase in cannabis use,” the researchers explain. Given the health concerns that accompany old age, especially as senior cannabis users often turn to the drug to help them face the pain of aging, this study aims to better understand the health-related consequences of cannabis use when it comes to weight, fitness and exercise.

Weight is a major factor determining quality of life among senior citizens. Nowadays, more than 71% of Americans are overweight and nearly 40% are obese, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Obesity is one of the leading causes of preventable deaths in the United States; “obesity is also associated with the leading causes of death in the United States and worldwide, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer,” the CDC warns. Heart diseases killed nearly 650,000 Americans in 2017, cancer killed 600,000, strokes killed nearly 150,000, and diabetes killed 83,000 that same year.

“Interestingly, numerous studies have found that overweight/obesity rates are significantly lower among cannabis users compared to nonusers,” the study says. “For example, Hayatbakhsh et al. found that young adults who reported using cannabis daily were approximately one-third as likely to be overweight/obese at 21 years of age compared with young adults who had never used cannabis.” The study in question, led in 2010 by the University of Queensland, found that “those who had used cannabis were less likely to be categorised in the BMI ≥ 25 [“overweight”] group with the least prevalence of overweight/obesity being observed in every day cannabis users.”

In both studies, the researchers note that cannabis use is associated with heightened appetite, which has been demonstrated to be true in clinical trials. Cannabis users call this “the munchies”; high-calorie foods become far more appealing when under the influence. The Colorado researchers offered the explanation that cannabis users might be significantly more active than people who don’t consume the drug, thus offsetting the consequences of their munchies.

“Research on the association between cannabis and exercise engagement, although limited,

is suggestive of a positive association. A survey of adults 20-59 years of age found that current cannabis users were significantly more likely to meet minimum physical activity recommendations than past users and nonusers,” the researchers write before diving into their own findings.

The post Cannabis Users Are More Fit than Non-users, Study Finds first appeared on Wake and Bake.

Molly “Meatball” McCann, the famed female UFC fighter known for her incredible skills in the ring, is branching out into an entirely new field, taking on the might of not one but two hugely competitive industries, by launching her own brand of CBD Coffee.

CBD has been all the rage these last few years as many discover what is said to be a whole host of incredibile benefits from taking this special cannabinoid oil. And as Molly continues to dominate her sport, she’s also looking to dominate both the CBD and coffee market with her new brand known as GWOAT Fuel.

Molly is a fiercely competitive fighter and is approaching her new business venture with the same amount of enthusiasm, by giving us all the chance to experience her high-quality, fair trade CBD coffee brand.

It might seem like a curveball industry for a fighter to branch into for those who don’t know Molly, but for those who do, she’s long held an intense passion for coffee, and has been a recent advocate for all the health benefits people say that CBD oil has to offer.

“I love coffee, it gets me through the day, so when I started seeing the benefits of CBD, it was an easy decision to make. We started testing CBD coffee’s and found our favourite one. We started to work on GWOAT Fuel, and we haven’t looked back since.”

The long list of potential health benefits from CBD oil are certainly something to consider, with many pointing to evidence that the oil can relieve a host of ailments, from chronic pain to anxiety and depression. Plus there are also a huge range of studies that are said to point to its effectiveness for treating everything from acne to improving cardiovascular health and neuroprotective transmitters.

The post UFC Fighter Molly “Meatball” McCann Launches CBD Coffee Brand first appeared on Wake and Bake.

ICBC reports…

Cannabis reform is spreading to all parts of the globe, and that includes professional sports. For many decades professional sports leagues have prohibited cannabis in all forms, including in advertising.

Cannabis prohibition is a harmful policy wherever it exists, and that obviously includes professional sports. Athletes should be measured by their athletic abilities and moral character – not by the level of THC metabolites that they have in their bodily fluids.

The NHL was a pioneer when it comes to cannabis policy, in that it has not included cannabis on its list of banned substances for many years. Other leagues are warming up to the idea. One front of cannabis reform in sports that has been problematic is cannabis-based advertising.

Sports leagues, and teams within those leagues, bring in a lot of revenue from advertising and sponsorships. Numerous cannabis companies would love to support professional sports teams in that manner, however, such advertising is prohibited in most leagues.

Major League Soccer might be changing their policy soon, and allowing CBD advertising. Per Sports Business Daily:

It is “likely” that the MLS Board of Governors will approve CBD as a new commercial opportunity for teams by the end of 2020, multiple sources tell SBJ’s Mark J. Burns & Terry Lefton.

Commissioner Don Garber last month said that the league would suffer a $1 billion loss in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. Sources said that allowing even more commercial opportunities, like with CBD, would help teams and the league recoup some of that money, albeit only a small fraction.

Cannabis advertising revenue will not fix every economic issue that Major League Soccer is experiencing, just as it doesn’t fix every single budget issue when it comes to cannabis tax revenue and governments.

However, that new revenue source can help to some extent, and given the fact that CBD is legal nationwide in the U.S. and in a growing number of countries, and CBD is non-toxic and does not induce intoxication, allowing CBD advertising in the MLS, or in any professional sports league, is an obvious no-brainer.

Source: https://internationalcbc.com/major-league-soccer-may-approve-a-cbd-sponsorship-in-2020/

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The Growth Op reports that

A cab ride for Taiwanese basketball star Jet Chang took an unexpected turn earlier this week.

The former Most Outstanding Player for the BYU–Hawaii Seasiders was in a taxi early Wednesday morning in Taipei when the vehicle was stopped for a safety check by local authorities, reports the Taipei Times. Police allege they found an e-cigarette containing cannabis oil in Chang’s possession.

Chang, who now plays professionally with the Formosa Dreamers of the ASEAN Basketball League, was taken to the police station to make a statement and then transferred to the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office for questioning.

Chang said that he was gifted the e-cigarette and was unaware that it contained cannabis. Prosecutors said that Chang would be charged with illegal possession of a category 2 drug in contravention of the Narcotics Hazard Prevention Act, reports the Taipei Times.

He was released after questioning and providing samples to be tested for drug use. He has also been suspended by his team and is under home arrest as the investigation continues.

More at. https://www.thegrowthop.com/cannabis-news/taiwanese-basketball-star-in-trouble-after-getting-caught-with-a-cannabis-vape-faces-a-maximum-of-three-years-in-prison?mc_cid=731b7d780c&mc_eid=9d689a81c4

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