A new study called SPACE (Study on Physical Activity and Cannabis Effect) hopes to understand the connection that exists between working out and cannabis.
Pairing marijuana with workouts is the new low-key cool way of getting high. The activity, pursued by newcomers and gym nuts alike, allows people to find more joy in their workouts, committing to them with more focus and vigor. This is all gathered through anecdotal evidence, of course.
A new study conducted by Colorado University plans to be the first to look into this phenomenon from a scientific perspective. These researchers are the first to look into the relationship between cannabis and exercise from a science point of view.
“To date, there are no human studies on the effects of legal market cannabis on the experience of exercise,” said Laurel Gibson, a PhD student in the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and the study’s lead investigator. “That’s where we come in.”
The study, called SPACE (Study on Physical Activity and Cannabis Effect), is ongoing and will examine participants as they work out under the influence of cannabis, asking them to share how the plant impacts their behaviors and performances. These participants will be paid for their efforts and will be made up of a sample of 50 men and women between the ages of 21-40 and 21-50, respectively. In order to participate, all must be experienced in working out and in cannabis use.
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The study will be comprised of several meetings between participants and researchers, with the participants coming in to work out and answer questions mid-run. In another round, participants will consume weed in their homes before their scheduled sessions, completing their time on the treadmill and answering questions about their experience ad performance.
Researchers hope to gather intriguing results by comparing sober sessions and sessions under the influence, showing hard evidence on the effect of cannabis on the body.
“Cannabis is often associated with a decrease in motivation— that stereotype of couch-lock and laziness,” said Gibson. “But at the same time, we are seeing an increasing number of anecdotal reports of people using it in combination with everything from golfing and yoga to snowboarding and running.”
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Cannabis is an exciting field, something that these researchers share. There are a lot of avenues worth exploring that will hopefully result in evolving laws and perspectives regarding the drug.
