Athletes, long banned from consuming cannabis for reasons as varied as possible health risks, performance enhancement, and violating “the spirit of sport,” are embracing the plant for its health and wellness potential.
On Saturday, January 22, 2022, the Association for Cannabis Health and Medicine (ACHEM) will advance cannabis integration into sports medicine by bringing together over 300 athletes, educators, coaches, students, and sports enthusiasts from across the country. ACHEM is pleased to announce that the United States Cannabis Council and the Marijuana Policy Project are title sponsors for the one-day virtual summit, which will provide a full slate of educational and informational cannabis programming curated by ACHEM and its coalition partners.
The Global Health Summit – Athletes and Associations is the second event in the ACHEM Global Health Summit series. ACHEM seeks to build awareness and competency in the medicinal and clinical applications of cannabis science for athletes, coaches, sports enthusiasts, and the associations that support them. As part of ACHEM’s commitment to serving communities and improving the accessibility of wellbeing, this event will foster learning, inspire thought leadership, and prompt more conversations about achieving health equity in sports.
2021 sparked conversations around cannabinoids in athletics as well as frustration around the antiquated, punitive, and non-scientific regulations enforced by sports organizations. Last summer, the world watched as Sha’Carri Richardson was stripped of her position on the US Olympic Track and Field team for her use of cannabis as a tool to manage her mental health. Around that time, the world was also introduced to Mendi, a CBD brand founded by Megan Rapinoe, who announced that she uses CBD almost exclusively for mental health and pain management. The juxtaposition of these two stories clearly illustrates an exigency for a shift in sports medicine and sports governance.
“The events of 2021 reaffirm the need for cannabis leaders to demonstrate the reparative and restorative potential of cannabis, both physiologically and psychologically, particularly in sports medicine”, says Dr. Rachel Knox, MD MBA, ACHEM Board Chair. “This ACHEM Global Health Summit will center the conversation around the responsible and scientifically-based uses of cannabis in athletics and the need for reform in sports regulations.”
The Global Health Summit session topics include Cannabinoid Sports Medicine, Health Equity in Sports, and Sports Policy Reform. Confirmed speakers and participants include former NFL linebacker and CBD entrepreneur Lofa Taupu, cannabinoid medicine specialist Dr. Rachel Knox, Dr. Bonni Goldstein, Founder, Canna-Centers Wellness & Education, cannabinologist Dr. Sunil Aggarwal, retired NFL player and trailblazing cannabis advocate and businessman Marvin Washington, MMA fighter Elias Theodorou, ACHEM Speakers Guild, Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, American Cannabis Nurses Association, Cannabis Nurses Network, and more.
This event is FREE and open to the community, specifically targeting current athletes from ages 16+ and the coaches/associations that oversee them.
Click here to register for this free, ticketed conference.
