Last year we covered athletes that were outspoken about their CBD usage. The numbers have been increasing steady ever since. Unfortunately for athletes based in the UK, there is confusion of what can be taken to find the best results with CBD, and for a few, which products meet competitive sports regulation!

What Is The Status Of CBD In Sport?

CBD is NOT on the World Anti-Doping Prohibited List - as a result it IS permitted to use in sport. THC on the other hand is prohibited, even in trace amounts. The intention of this regulation is to prohibit cannabinoids that activate the same receptors in the brain as activated by THC. 

What are the risks of using CBD for pro athletes?

Despite the permitted status of CBD, athletes subject to the rules of anti-doping must consider the risk of inadvertently ingesting a CBD product that contains THC. This could accidentally occur because:

1. A product becomes contaminated with a different species of plant that has a high-THC concentration. 

2. The wrong part of the cannabis plant is used during the manufacturing process. 

CBD has become very popular in the fitness scene, many people claiming it does wonders for their inflammation post recovery - although tests have only recently started accumulating data to back up these claims. 

How To Avoid Problems Buying CBD for Sports?

It is no lie that it's difficult to find a CBD product that ticks all the boxes for an athlete. The high street shops sell product with low strength, barley any terpenes, horrible taste, trace levels of THC and lack consistency. The CMC (centre for medical cannabis) ran a blind test on the most popular CBD products in the UK, determining that an alarming number had less CBD than quoted on the bottle, illegal levels of THC and shockingly heavy metal contamination. 

1. Look at lab tests for 0% THC
2. Look again at lab tests for %CBD, cross check with marketing on bottle.
3. Look for GMP certification on marketing - a pharma level certificate for good manufacturing process.
4. Research the company - do they grow their own cannabis or are they resellers with little control on the end product?
5. Consult your professional sporting body for advice on taking CBD to make sure no changes have been made in regulation. 

After consulting these steps you will likely be narrowed down to a small handful of CBD companies. Our favourite CBD sports brand is CBDrive, we'll go into what sets the company apart and why it's an elf's favourite sports supplement. 

CBDrive

The brand was formed in late 2019 by a group of athletic CBD lovers, tired of being limited to products not suitable for what they were trying to achieve. After growing their first crop (see it on Instagram @winchesterfarms) they went into formulation of the product. Many sports brands will mix isolated CBD with a carrier oil to finish their product. CBDrive were looking to push what's possible and formulated an oil that not only contained CBD, but every other legal cannabinoid (CBG, CBDa, CBC, etc.). We believe they have a competitive edge against some of the other CBD sports lines because of these extra cannabinoids - CBG which is uniquely present in all the CBDrive range is one of the hottest cannabinoids of 2020. Their products are formulated in an EU GMP facility, meeting pharmaceutical conditions. They offer perhaps one of the sharpest designed products on the market, something that fits in your workout bag nicely. There aren't many sports CBD brands that grow their own hemp, can consistently offer 0% THC while offering an array of other cannabinoids, and created by actual athletes who use the products to better themselves.