Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32023171›Full record

SynthesisSports health

Cannabis Use and Sport: A Systematic Review.

Shgufta Docter, Moin Khan, Chetan Gohal, Bheeshma Ravi, Mohit Bhandari, Rajiv Gandhi, Timothy Leroux

Open access · greenAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Sports health. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 32 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
32citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
6.2field-weighted citation impact, top 3% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

32 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 77 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Shgufta DocterDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Moin KhanDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Chetan GohalDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Bheeshma RaviDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Mohit BhandariDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Rajiv GandhiDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Timothy LerouxDivision of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
University of Toronto · CAMcMaster University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextCannabis use has increased, in large part due to decriminalization. Despite this increase in usage, it remains unclear what proportion of athletes use cannabis and what effect it has on athletic performance and recovery.

objectiveTo systematically review cannabis use among athletes, including epidemiology, effect on performance and recovery, and regulations for use in sport. DATA SOURCES: PubMed, MEDLINE, and EMBASE databases were queried from database inception through November 15, 2018. A hand search of policies, official documents, and media reports was performed for relevant information. STUDY SELECTION: All studies related to cannabis use in athletes, including impact on athletic performance or recovery, were included. STUDY

designSystematic review. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level 4. DATA EXTRACTION: Demographic and descriptive data of included studies relating to epidemiology of cannabis use in athletes were extracted and presented in weighted means or percentages where applicable.

resultsOverall, 37 studies were included, of which the majority were cross-sectional studies of elite and university athletes. Among 11 studies reporting use among athletes (n = 46,202), approximately 23.4% of respondents reported using cannabis in the past 12 months. Two studies found a negative impact on performance, while another 2 studies found no impact. There was no literature on the influence of cannabis on athletic recovery. Across athletic organizations and leagues, there is considerable variability in acceptable thresholds for urine tetrahydrocannabinol levels (>15 to 150 ng/mL) and penalties for athletes found to be above these accepted thresholds.

conclusionOverall, these results suggest that approximately 1 in 4 athletes report using cannabis within the past year. Based on the available evidence, cannabis does not appear to positively affect performance, but the literature surrounding this is generally poor. Given the variability in regulation across different sport types and competition levels, as well as the growing number of states legalizing recreational cannabis use, there is a need to improve our understanding of the effects of cannabis use on the athlete and perhaps adopt a clearer and overarching policy for the use of cannabis by athletes in all sports and at all levels.

Indexed as

Athletic PerformanceDronabinolHumansMarijuana AbuseMarijuana SmokingOrganizational PolicySportsSubstance Abuse DetectionDronabinolathletescannabisperformancerecoverysports

Identifiers

PMID32023171
PMCPMC7040945
OpenAlexW3004789288

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.