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This Marijuana Acquisition Will Change The Game For Everyone

MJ News Network
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This Marijuana Acquisition Will Change The Game For Everyone

Baker, a leading customer engagement software company for marijuana dispensaries, has announced the acquisition of Seattle-based Grassworks Media, the second largest CRM player in the cannabis market, making Baker the largest and most innovative company in the space.

As a result of the acquisition, Baker will add Grassworks’ approximately 150 dispensary clients to its roster of retail clients across 16 states and Canada. Grassworks’ management team will join Baker in its new Seattle office, where Baker’s existing northwest sales representatives are based. As part of the acquisition, Baker will eventually leverage the best of Grassworks’ technology to augment its offering. Current Grassworks customers will not be immediately affected.

“We’re thrilled to announce our first — and one of the industry’s first tech acquisition – acquisitions,” said Joel Milton, CEO and Co-founder of Baker. “Since our founding, we have been focused on organic growth opportunities. As the market develops and we continue to grow and scale, we started to look at other strategic growth opportunities that would help us enhance our team, offering and further establish Baker as the industry leader. This acquisition does just that. We are joined by Grasswork’s great team and are now, by far, the leading CRM platform in Cannabis.  This puts substantial space between Baker and our competition, and allows us to provide the best product in the market to our growing customer base.”

Founded in 2014, Baker has grown from three founders, representing a couple of dispensaries in Denver, to a staff of over 50 and representing more than 700 dispensaries across 16 states and Canada.

“We’re really excited to be joining forces with the market leader,” said Ryan Porter, CEO of Grassworks. “Baker has a fantastic product and talented leadership team, and together we’ll build the absolute best products for the cannabis industry.”

The Denver-based software company has a unique data-driven approach that helps dispensaries leverage their brands to keep their customers happy and loyal, and increase revenue almost immediately.

Baker’s acquisition is the latest in some big moves within the Cannabis industry, which show a trend in investments and industry consolidation.

For more cannabis business coverage, visit the MJ News Network. 

Bay Area’s Biggest City Comes To Its Senses And Lifts Marijuana Ban

Terry Hacienda
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Bay Area’s Biggest City Comes To Its Senses And Lifts Marijuana Ban

San Jose, the largest city in the Bay Area, will be ready for marijuana customers when California goes legal on Jan. 1. On the same day that San Francisco postponed voting for a plan, the San Jose City Council unanimously approved an ordinance earlier this week that will allow 16 medical marijuana dispensaries already operating in the city to sell for recreational purposes starting on New Year’s Day.

Last year, San Jose banned recreational marijuana retail to allow city officials time to create a regulatory process. The ordinance will also allow the delivery of marijuana to recreational customers. 

“It’s a bold step for the city to take,” Sean Kali-rai, president and founder of Silicon Valley Cannabis Alliance, told the San Jose Mercury News. “It’s about honoring the will of the voters. And because San Jose has figured out how to regulate the medical market, they’re confident moving forward with the recreational market,” said Kali-rai, who represents five San Jose medical marijuana dispensaries.  

The ruling on Tuesday keeps in place current zoning regulations, which outlaws retailers to be in the vicinity of churches, schools and other “sensitive” facilities. The city will not allow more than the current 16 stores.

Councilman Lan Diep had a little fun with puns when lauding San Jose‘s new ordinance. “Our policy should not be a blunt instrument, but rather a high-quality model for other cities to clone. Through smart regulations and taxes, we can weed out bad actors and get our general fund revenues high.”

On the same day San Jose cannabis lovers celebrate, San Franciscans‘ hopes were put on ice. After a contentious debate, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors said more time was needed to complete a regulatory framework for cannabis retail. The board will meet in two weeks. If the supervisors hammer out a compromise, it is still possible for sales to begin on Jan. 1.

Medical Marijuana Now Has 3 Professional Associations

Mary Schumacher
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Medical Marijuana Now Has 3 Professional Associations

Every medical field has some sort of professional society, from pediatricians to gerontologists, they enjoy and benefit from collaborating or otherwise networking with their peers. So, it only makes sense that canna-doctors also have their own societies. Three to be exact, though the rivalries amount to rooting for each other, really.

According to MedScape, They’ve emerged over the last 15 years as state after state has legalized some form of cannabis, be it CBD, medicinal or recreational. There’s the American Academy of Cannabinoid Medicine, the Society of Cannabis Clinicians and the American Medical Marijuana Physicians Association.

Out of the three, SCC has been around the longest, created in 2004 by the California Research Medical Group, which itself was formed by the late Tod Mikuriya, coauthor of Proposition 215, the seminal ballot measure that legalized medical marijuana in California and set the stage for the nation to follow suit.

Any and every kind of doctor, nurse, homeopathic physician or other type of practitioner allowed to recommend medical marijuana in their respective states can joined one of the three groups. This is one group of doctors that, no matter how varied, all have a few common goals: to organize medical marijuana, to further legitimize the medical cannabis field, to spread knowledge about the plant, and in that vein, see cannabis rescheduled so that it can be researched more thoroughly in clinical settings.

Right now, despite 29 states and the District of Columbia having legalized it in one form or another, cannabis stands as a Schedule I drug, meaning that it is not yet recognized as having any medicinal value and is recognized for having a high potential for abuse. Schedule II, though still a rating that yet carries the high potential for abuse stigma, would at least remove the “no medicinal value” part of the equation to take away at least that one roadblock from further studying cannabis and its effects on different ailments.

SCC has around 350 members and offers them certification courses for continuing medical education credits in addition to quarterly online meetings. Doctors also provide case reports for other doctors to read, from how they administered cannabis to a cancer patient to how it was used with an epileptic child.

All in all, the organizations seem to bring the cannabis industry another few steps closer to affecting greater change and further legitimizing an industry that once rose out of the wild west to rear its beautiful green head. Now is the time to tame the beast

Gossip: Kathy Griffin Says Andy Cohen Has A Small Penis; Meghan Markle Bringing Dogs To England

Naughty Gossip
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Gossip: Kathy Griffin Says Andy Cohen Has A Small Penis; Meghan Markle Bringing Dogs To England

“I find it hilarious that Andy Cohen’s current ad campaign for ‘WWHL’ has a premise that implies that no matter where he goes people just want to spill their guts to him,” Griffin, 57, tweeted Friday morning.

She followed with an account allegedly sent to her from a man named Forrest who claims he slept with Cohen, 49, in college.

Forrest, whose last name was redacted from Griffin’s posting, alleges he met Cohen through their mutual friend Amanda in 1989 at the University of Wisconsin, and that Cohen came to his apartment the same night.

Forrest mocked Cohen’s lazy eye and claimed that the TV personality was an aggressive and selfish lover, noting, “By the way, Andy is a small guy, not just in height.” By Forrest’s own account, Cohen declined to see him again after their first and only encounter.

“Enjoy your morning tea,” Griffin concluded her post. “Prepare yourself for his transparent retaliation.

Meghan Markle Prepares To Bring Her Dogs Guy & Bogart To England

Meghan Markle has further fueled rumors that she is gearing up to move in with Prince Harry as she prepares to bring her beloved dogs to the UK. The American actress has a beagle, Guy, and a labrador-shepherd cross, Bogart, who are currently back in her current home, Toronto, and who she often keeps in touch with via FaceTime.

However, Bogart and Guy – who make regular appearances on her social media profiles – are now believed to be headed for Britain, indicating that the next step of her relationship with Harry is imminent. Before that happens, the pair of pooches must have be given several vaccinations and bloodtests, as well as being microchipped.

A source close to the Suits star told the Sun: ‘The fact she’s started the process of moving them to England is the clearest hint yet that she sees her future living in London with Harry.’
[From The Daily Mail]

Love the fresh dirt we bring over daily from Naughty Gossip? Let us know in the comments!

20 Things You Should Know About California’s New Marijuana Rules

Hilary Bricken
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20 Things You Should Know About California’s New Marijuana Rules

California’s Bureau of Cannabis Control (along with its Departments of Public Health and Food and Agriculture) dropped their much-anticipated emergency rules (see here, here, and here) to fully implement the Medicinal and Adult-Use Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act in California. The agencies kept a lot of what we saw from the withdrawn rules under the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act (MCRSA). (see here, here, here, and here), but there are also some new, notable additions and some interesting gap-fillers that now give us the foundation for operational standards across cannabis license types.

Though we can’t cover every single change or topic from these rules in one post (and because we’ll be covering the license types and application details in other posts in the coming days and weeks and at our SoCal Cannabis Investment Forum), I will instead focus on the following highlights of the emergency rules:

  1. We now have a revised definition of “canopy,” which is “the designated area(s) at a licensed premise that will contain mature plants at any point in time.” In addition, canopy shall be calculated in square feet and measured using clearly identifiable boundaries of all area(s) that will contain mature plants at any point in time, including all of the space(s) within the boundaries. Canopy may be noncontiguous, but each unique area included in the total canopy calculation shall be separated by an identifiable boundary which includes interior walls, shelves, greenhouse walls, hoop house walls, garden benches, hedgerows, fencing, garden beds, or garden plots; and
    1. If mature plants are being cultivated using a shelving system, the surface area of each level shall be included in the total canopy calculation.
    2. “Nonvolatile solvent” has been further defined to mean “any solvent used in the extraction process that is not a volatile solvent,” which “includes carbon dioxide (CO2) used for extraction and ethanol used for extraction or post-extraction processing.”
  2. Temporary licensing has now been fully detailed to include online applications, the personal information for each owner that must be disclosed, contact information for the applicant’s designated point of contact, physical address of the premises, evidence that the applicant has the legal right to occupy the premises for the desired license type, proof of local approval, and the fact that the temporary license (which is good for 120 days) may be renewed and extended by the state for additional 90 day periods so long as a “complete application for an annual license” has been submitted to the state. No temporary license will become effective until January 1, 2018.
  3. For the full blown “annual license,” the application requirements are pretty much the same as under the MCRSA rules except that you must disclose whether you’re applying for an “M License” or an “A License” and you have to list out all of your financing and financiers which include: “A list of funds belonging to the applicant held  in savings, checking, or other accounts maintained by a financial institution, a list of loans (with all attendant loan information and documentation, including the list of security provided for the loan), all investment funds and names of the investors, a list of all gifts, and a list with certain identifying information of anyone with a “financial interest” in the business. “Financial interest” means “an investment into a commercial cannabis business, a loan provided to a commercial cannabis business, or any other equity interest in a commercial cannabis business.” The only exempt “financial interests” are bank or financial institution lenders, individuals whose only financial interest is through an interest in a diversified mutual fund, blind trust, or “similar instrument”, and those shareholders in a publicly traded company who hold less than 5% of the total shares.
  4. As part of your licensing application, you will still need to submit a premises diagram drawn to scale along with all of your security procedures and inventory procedures (and pretty much all corresponding operational SOPs) A $5,000 bond is still required for all licensees (as well as mandatory insurance) and all owners must submit their felony conviction criminal histories as specifically enumerated in the regulations, as well as rehabilitation statements.
  5. Several new licenses have been created (and/or brought back from the dead from MCRSA): the cannabis event organizer license (to enable people to take advantage of the temporary cannabis event license), the distribution transporter only license (which allows this licensee to only move product between licensees, but not to retailers unless what’s being transported are  immature plants or seeds from a Type 4 nursery), the processor license (a cultivation site that conducts only trimming, drying, curing, grading, packaging, or labeling of cannabis and non-manufactured cannabis products), the Type N and P manufacturing licenses are back, and there’s now a Type 9 delivery only Non-Storefront Retailer license.
  6. We also now have the non-refundable licensing fee schedules and though they vary depending on the license type they mostly are nominal, though some increase with increased gross receipts, and small and medium-sized growers will have to pay pretty robust fees.
  7. If you want to make changes after-the-fact to your premises or to your ownership structure, you first must secure state approval to do so.
  8. All growers are again limited to one Type 3 medium cultivation license each, whether it’s an M License or an A License.
  9. A retailer can sell non-cannabis goods on its premises so long as their city or county allows it (this excludes alcohol, tobacco, and tobacco products). Retailers can also sell non-flowering, immature plants (no more than six in a single day to a single customer). M-licensed retailers and micro-businesses can also give cannabis away free of charge to qualified patients or to their caregivers.
  10. Notably, until July 1, 2018, licensees may conduct commercial cannabis activities with any other licensee, regardless of the A or M designation of the license.
  11. The renewable energy requirements for cultivators have been revamped hopefully to the satisfaction of cannabis growers.
  12. Again, the licenses are NOT transferable, so we’re looking at folks only being able to purchase the businesses that hold them.
  13. Distributors will be able to re-package and re-label flower, but not infused cannabis products unless they hold a manufacturing license. Distributors also cannot store any non-cannabis goods at their premises. The state has laid out what must take place during a distributor’s quality assurance review and the chain of custody protocol with third party labs for testing.
  14. We have a detailed list of all permissible extraction types, including that any CO2 extractions must be done within a closed loop system.
  15. The prohibited products list is pretty much the same as it was under the  MCRSA rules (so, no nicotine or caffeine infused cannabis products).
  16. In regards to “premises,” the Bureau’s regulations mandate that a licensee may have up to two licenses at a given premises or the same license type so long as they’re owned by the same company and one is an A-License and  the other is an  M-License.
  17. In addition to other relatively onerous advertising requirements, licensees must “Prior to any advertising or marketing from the licensee involving direct, individualized communication or dialog, . . .  use age affirmation to verify that the recipient is 21 years of age or older.” Direct, individualized communication or dialog, may occur through any form of communication including in person, telephone, physical mail, or electronic. A method of age verification is not necessary for a communication if the licensee can verify that “the licensee has previously had the intended recipient undergo a method of age affirmation and the licensee is reasonably certain that the communication will only be received by the intended recipient.”
  18. Retailers and micro-businesses are now required to hire third party security to protect and watch their premises.
  19. To hold a micro-business license, a licensee must engage in at least three of the following commercial cannabis activities: cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, and retail sale. There are also now a slew of regulations surrounding each activity a micro-business can undertake.
  20. Live entertainment is now allowed at a licensed premises so long as it follows the bevy of regulations regarding content and presentation.

Overall, we have a close-ish copy of the withdrawn MCRSA rules that will lead us into 2018. Be sure to read the rules again and again before pursuing your California cannabis license. Applicants will have their work cut out for them on both the state and local levels.

Hilary Bricken is a partner at Harris Bricken, a law firm with lawyers in Seattle, Portland, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Barcelona, and Beijing. This story was originally published on the Canna Law Blog. 

Study: Does Marijuana Dabbing Cause Cancer?

Terry Hacienda
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Study: Does Marijuana Dabbing Cause Cancer?

Marijuana dabbing, the increasingly popular method of inhaling high-potency concentrated cannabis, may be hazardous to your health, according to a study.

Researchers at Portland State University discovered that dabbing may expose users to elevated levels of cancer-causing toxins, including benzene, compared to other methods of inhalation. 

The study, published earlier this year in the American Chemical Society’s ACS Omega, raises serious health concerns about the practice of dabbing, especially among the younger population who prefer this method of vaporizing.

“Given the widespread legalization of cannabis in the United States, it is imperative to study the full toxicology of its consumption to guide future policy,” said Rob Strongin, a Portland State professor and lead author of the study. “The results of these studies clearly indicate that dabbing, although considered a form of vaporization, may, in fact, deliver significant amounts of toxic degradation products.” 

Dabbing has been around in some form or another since the 1970s, but the practice has skyrocketed into popularity over the past decade. Essentially, a dab is a small dose of highly concentrated cannabis that is heated on a hot surface and then inhaled. Focus on the word “concentrate” — and fully grasp the meaning.

Cannabis concentrates are exactly what they sound like: Take the herb and extract all the THC out of it as you can. The extreme amount of THC in the concentrate means you will need very little (just a dab) to achieve the psychoactive effect.  But trying to accurately and consistently heat the concentrate to the proper temperature is hard — and that is part of the problem.   

The difficulty users find in controlling the nail temperature put users at risk of exposing themselves to not only methacrolein but also benzene,” Strongin said. “Additionally, the heavy focus on terpenes as additives seen as of late in the cannabis industry is of great concern due to the oxidative liability of these compounds when heated. This research also has significant implications for flavored e-cigarette products due to the extensive use of terpenes as flavorings.” 

What You Need To Know About Cannabis And Metabolic Syndrome

Richard Faulk
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What You Need To Know About Cannabis And Metabolic Syndrome

Metabolic syndrome is a serious risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions (i.e. a syndrome) that indicates that the body is having trouble handling all the energy it’s taking in. It’s defined by having three or more of the following risk factors:

  • A large waistline—that is to say being apple shaped vs. pear shaped
  • High level of fat in the blood
  • Low level of HDL cholesterol (AKA “the good kind”)
  • High blood pressure
  • High blood sugar

Metabolic syndrome is a serious risk factor for diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

An analysis by the University of Miami, published in the American Journal of Medicine earlier this year, showed that, of the approximately 8,500 adults surveyed, 19.5 percent of non-smokers met the criteria for metabolic syndrome compared to 13.8 percent of those who regularly smoke marijuana. The greatest disparity was seen in young adults, where users were 54 percent less likely than their straight-laced peers to have this condition.

These findings give more detail to a portrait emerging from other studies (such as this one) of cannabis users who are able to take in more calories and stay trimmer than do abstainers.

A study from June of this year adds an unexpected twist: A survey of Australians with psychotic illness showed metabolism syndrome in very high 63 percent of non-users compared to only 43.5 percent of frequent cannabis users. Moderate cannabis use had negligible effects.

So there’s a Sophie’s choice: Smoke weed and save your heart, or abstain to preserve your mind?

Study: The 50-And-Over Set No Longer Perceive Marijuana As Dangerous

Carmen Heredia Rodriguez
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Study: The 50-And-Over Set No Longer Perceive Marijuana As Dangerous

Men used marijuana more frequently than women, the study showed, but marital status and educational levels were not major factors in determining users.

Baby boomers are getting high in increasing numbers, reflecting growing acceptance of the drug as treatment for various medical conditions, according to a study published Monday in the journal Addiction.

The findings reveal overall use among the 50-and-older study group increased “significantly” from 2006 to 2013. Marijuana users peaked between ages 50 to 64, then declined among the 65-and-over crowd.

Men used marijuana more frequently than women, the study showed, but marital status and educational levels were not major factors in determining users.

The study by researchers at New York University School of Medicine suggests more data is needed about the long-term health impact of marijuana use among seniors. Study participants said they did not perceive the drug as dangerous, a sign of changing attitudes.

The study was based on 47,140 responses collected from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

Joseph Palamar, a professor at the NYU medical school and a co-author of the study, said the findings reinforce the need for research and a call for providers to screen the elderly for drug use.

“They shouldn’t just assume that someone is not a drug user because they’re older,” Palamar said.

Growing use of the drug among the 50-and-older crowd reflects the national trend toward pushing cannabis into mainstream culture. Over 22 million people used the drug in 2015, according to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Eight states have legalized the drug for recreational use as well as medicinal use, according to Marijuana Policy Project, a non-profit advocacy group dedicated to enacting non-punitive marijuana policies across the United States. The drug has also proved to be a financial boon for state economies,  generating over $19 million in September in Colorado.

Researchers also uncovered an increasing diversity in marijuana users. Past-year use doubled among married couples and those earning less than $20,000 per year.

More people living with medical conditions also sought out marijuana. The study showed the number of individuals living with two or more chronic conditions who used the drug over the past year more than doubled. Among those living with depression, the rate also doubled to 11.4 percent.

Palamar says the increase among the sick could be attributed to more individuals seeking to self-medicate. Historically, the plant was difficult to research due to the government crackdown on the substance. The Drug Enforcement Administration classifies the plant as a Schedule I substance, “defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.”

Benjamin Han, assistant professor at the New York University School of Medicine and the study’s lead author, fears that marijuana used with prescription drugs could make the elderly more vulnerable to adverse health outcomes, particularly to falls and cognitive impairment.

“While there may be benefits to using marijuana such as chronic pain,” he said, “there may be risks that we don’t know about.”

The push and pull between state and federal governments has resulted in varying degrees of legality across the United States. Palamar says this variation places populations at risk of unknowingly breaking the law and getting arrested for drug possession. The issue poses one of the biggest public health concerns associated with marijuana, Palamar says.

But unlike the marijuana of their youth, seniors living in states that legalized marijuana for medicinal use now can access a drug that has been tested for quality and purity, said Paul Armentano deputy director of NORML, a non-profit group advocating for marijuana legalization. Additionally, the plant is prescribed to manage diseases that usually strike in older age, pointing to an increasing desire to take a medication that has less side effects than traditional prescription drugs.

The study found over half of the users picked up the habit before turning 18, and over 90 percent of them before age 36.

“We are coming to a point where state lawmakers are responding to the rapidly emerging consensus-both public consensus and a scientific consensus — that marijuana is not an agent that possesses risks that qualifies it as a legally prohibited substance,” he said.

Kaiser Health News is a national health policy news service that is part of the nonpartisan Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation.  

The Definitive Ranking Of The 10 Best Thanksgiving Foods To Eat While High

Sam Jones
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The Definitive Ranking Of The 10 Best Thanksgiving Foods To Eat While High

Aside for spending time with your family, the best part of Thanksgiving by far is the delicious food. As good as all the turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and everything else is, those of us who smoke weed can agree that it’s even better when you’re pleasantly—but not too—high. Below you’ll read a definitive ranking of the ten best Thanksgiving foods to eat while baked.

10. Cranberry Sauce

Personally, I don’t care for cranberry sauce. But if you’re blazed, staring at the can-shaped blob of gelatinous goo can be mesmerizing and provides a nice distraction when the conversation suddenly shifts to something terrible, like politics or your plans for the future.

9. Sweet Potato Anything

Anything with sweet potato is, in this blogger’s mind, a disappointment and a bit of a mystery. Why not just make everything out of regular potatoes? That said, its mushy consistency and orange hue are appealing, and keeps any dish with the vegetable in it from sinking farther down this list. 

8. Peas

Peas are okay flavor-wise, especially if they’re soaked in butter the way my grandmother prepares them. But they’re kind of difficult to eat when sober, much less when high, and they pale in comparison to other Thanksgiving sides.

7. Dressing

Dressing, or stuffing as heathens call it, has grown on me over the years. It’s a nice compliment for turkey and contains all sorts of flavors that are interesting to try to sort out while buzzed. But it’s low on this list because it’s objectively unpleasant to look at, even if you’re completely blitzed.

6. Green Bean Casserole

Fun to play with, if not exactly super tasty.

5. Mac and Cheese

Macaroni and cheese is one of the best foods to eat anytime, whether your perfectly sober or perfectly baked, which is one reason why it’s fourth on this list and not higher: You don’t need a special holiday to enjoy it. 

4. Pumpkin Pie

While I’m on the record as being mostly neutral about pies and I do not enjoy pumpkin, it’s important to recognize that many, if not most, people love pie with a passion that borders on lunacy. So in the interest in keeping the peace I’m putting the beloved pumpkin pie in the top 5.

3. Mashed Potatoes

Like mac and cheese, mashed potatoes are always delicious. But there’s something especially delicious about having them on Thanksgiving, when you can add them to the following two items to make a sort of Super Thanksgiving Sandwich.

2. Turkey

Turkey is the most iconic Thanksgiving food for good reason. While the myth that it makes you sleepy has been disproven, it will definitely make you tired when you eat a pound of it after smoking some of your favorite indica.

1. Sister Schubert’s Rolls

I could eat hundreds of these tasty little rolls, which my family for some reason only busts out on Turkey Day. In addition to being wonderful to eat on their own, they are, as noted above, the perfect bread to pair with buttery, rich mashed potatoes and thick, juicy slices of turkey to create fantastic lil sandwiches.

Can Marijuana Be A Performance-Enhancing Drug For Athletes?

Al Olson
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Can Marijuana Be A Performance-Enhancing Drug For Athletes?

In one of his classic stand-up routines, the late, great Robin Williams joked “the only way [marijuana] is a performance-enhancing drug is if there’s a big fucking Hershey bar at the end of the run.”

A funny line, to be sure. But, as it turns out, Williams joke was just that: A joke. The truth of matter is that cannabis may well be  drug that helps elite athletes.

Since cannabis is a Schedule 1 substance, according to federal government, it is difficult for scientists to research this field, so much of the data is anecdotal. But there is no doubt in the science community that cannabis is an anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and neuroprotective substance. These benefits, and a myriad of others, would certainly aid an athlete.

“The endocannabinoid system works like endorphins,” says Andrea Giuffrida, an associate professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center. Giuffrida’s studies demonstrate that after high-intensity treadmill running, subjects have higher levels of naturally occurring endocannabinoids in their bloodstream. Just as endorphins help you push through an intense workout, endocannabinoids could increase your pain threshold to do the same.

The debate received renewed attention over the weekend when former NBA all-star Chauncey Billups appeared on ESPN to discuss marijuana. His belief is that some of his teammates played better under the influence of marijuana. Said Billups:

“I honestly played with players – I’m not going to name names, of course I’m not – I wanted them to smoke. They played better like that. Big time anxiety, a lot of things can be affected – [marijuana] brought ‘em down a bit, it helped them focus in a little bit on the game plan. I needed them to do that. I would rather them do that than, sometimes, drink.”

And it’s just not mainstream professional sports.

Ross Rebagliati in 1998 won the first ever Olympic gold medal for snowboarding. He was stripped of his medal after being tested positive for marijuana. Rebagliati eventually got the gold medal back after it was ruled marijuana was not “performance enhancing.”

Today, the snowboarding legend thinks differently.

“From my own experience, I’ve found that it helps me really focus on my workouts—not just when I’m there [at the gym], but also to get me there in the first place,” he said. “It gives me that extra little bit of inspiration and motivation to get out and do it again for the millionth time.”

Other elite athletes who use cannabis as a performance-enhancing aid include:

“People are starting to understand that marijuana can be part of an athletic lifestyle,” according to Jim McAlpine, owner of Power Plant Fitness, a marijuana-friendly gym in San Francisco. McAlpine has also created  the 420 Games, a series of marijuana-themed athletic events.

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