Industry Events
Olympic Athletes’ Highest Achievements: Stoned Olympians
Cannabis is beloved among some of the greatest athletes on the globe.
The most decorated gold medalist to ever walk the earth, Michael Phelps, has partaken in the past. In addition, cannabis culture has all but taken over the international snowboarding community. The Olympics official list of banned substances explicitly bans cannabis along with all other illegal drugs, however there has been progress. For instance, in 2013 the Anti-Doping Agency raised the allowed limit of cannabis to 10 times the previous limit — at 150 nanograms per milliliter. With marijuana legalization trending across the globe, the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio could be the most cannabis-filled Olympic season yet.
Here are some Olympic gold medalists that have shattered erroneous claims that cannabis hampers athletic ability and causes “amotivational syndrome.”
Ross Rebagliati
Ross Rebagliati won the Olympics’ first gold medal in snowboarding for his remarkable achievements in Nagano in 1998. Rebagliati nearly lost his medal after he tested positive for cannabis at 17.8 nanograms per milliliter . Rebagliati’s near loss didn’t discourage his cannabis use. In 2013, Rebagliati opened “Ross’ Gold”, a cannabis collective located in Whistler, British Columbia, a hotspot for snowboarding and other extreme winter sports. Ross’ Gold has since grown to become a cannabis super-brand. “We’ve got what you need,” the company’s slogan says.
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps holds more Olympic records than almost any man can claim — the highest number of gold medals, the highest number of medals in a single Olympic event, and many more. In 2009, a tabloid leaked a photo of the famed olympian handling a bong rip. The scandal happened just a few months after Phelps’ historic eight-gold medal win in Beijing in 2008. In recent years, the indica-dominant hybrid Michael Phelps OG has taken California by storm.
Stephany Lee
Olympic wrestler Stephany Lee tested positive for cannabis during an exceptionally cruel drug screen conducted on April 21 2012, before the Olympic trials in Iowa City, Iowa. Lee lost her chance to compete in the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Lee was forced to publicly apologize to USA Wrestling for using cannabis, presumably on 420. She regained her ability to compete in the Olympics a year later.
Usain Bolt
Jamaican native Usain Bolt holds title to three Olympic gold medals. Bolt’s open use of cannabis in his past brings another level of realism to “Cool Runnings.” Throughout his sprinting career, Bolt says he’s been tested for doping 30-40 times. “When you’re a child in Jamaica, you learn how to roll a joint,” Bolt is reported to have told a German newspaper.
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