{"id":2315,"date":"2021-11-10T18:38:47","date_gmt":"2021-11-10T18:38:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=183920"},"modified":"2021-11-10T18:38:47","modified_gmt":"2021-11-10T18:38:47","slug":"this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=2315","title":{"rendered":"This MMA fighter is taking on cannabis stigma in sports"},"content":{"rendered":"
This MMA fighter is taking on cannabis stigma in sports – Leafly<\/title> <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v17.1.2 (Yoast SEO v17.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ --> <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --> <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) --> <title>Leafly<\/title> <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title> <title>Loading\u2026<\/title> <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You’re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p>Mixed martial artist Elias Theodorou stepped out of the ring recently to attend MJBizCon, a cannabis industry conference and expo in Las Vegas. The Canadian athlete was there on a mission\u2014to promote organizations and brands that are striving to break the stigma associated with cannabis use. <\/p>\n<p>As a trailblazer in the cannabis space, people were receptive to his message. Theodorou is the first professional athlete in North America to be authorized to use medical cannabis. He has broken new ground in professional sports and says he is just getting started.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-first-canadian-to-win-the-ultimate-fighter\">First Canadian to win The Ultimate Fighter<\/h2>\n<p>Born and raised in Mississauga, Ont., Theodorou attended a local high school, where he became passionate about skateboarding. \u201cI jumped off high buildings until I realized I was afraid of heights,\u201d he recalls with a laugh. He has suffered many injuries since then, including one to his wrist that was so severe he needed a bone graft. <\/p>\n<p>After high school, he enrolled at college to study advertising. Around that time, he discovered a passion for mixed martial arts (MMA) and ultimately chose that as his career path. He excelled at his sport and developed into an elite competitor known as \u201cThe Spartan\u201d thanks to his Greek heritage and powerful build.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"1001\" alt class=\"wp-image-183935 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-1.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-1.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-1.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-1.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Theodorou wants cannabis to be considered a legitimate medical exemption. (Courtesy of JESSCO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>In 2014, when he was 25 years old, he became the first Canadian to win The Ultimate Fighter, a reality television show that features MMA fighters competing against each other for a contract with the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), a U.S.-based MMA promotion company. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-opioids-before-medical-cannabis\">Opioids before medical cannabis<\/h2>\n<p>Theodorou excelled as a middleweight fighter in the UFC but the competition took a toll on his body, aggravating injuries he had suffered while skateboarding years before. Diagnosed with nerve damage called bilateral neuropathy, he turned to cannabis to relieve his pain.<\/p>\n<p>He wrote an open letter to the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), urging the organization to allow him to use cannabis to ease the pain in his wrists and elbows without penalty. <\/p>\n<p>He felt he was at a disadvantage in the ring because of his condition. For Theodorou, cannabis had proven to be an effective treatment whereas other medications had caused \u201cdebilitating side-effects.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The USADA told him he would have to exhaust all other medical options, including prescription painkillers before they would consider making an exception for him. <\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-image is-style-default\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" alt class=\"wp-image-183939 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-2.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-2.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-2.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-2.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Should we be recommending narcotics before cannabis? (Courtesy of JESSCO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cSports officials try to raise awareness about the use of narcotics,\u201d he says, looking back. \u201cIf it weren\u2019t sad it would be funny that they encouraged me to take opioids.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-usada-officials-are-operating-in-an-outdated-system\">USADA officials are operating in an outdated system<\/h2>\n<p>Conventional medications didn\u2019t work well, but USADA officials were unmoved. They refused to grant him a therapeutic use exemption. \u201cI was really frustrated,\u201d Theodorou recalls. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cUSADA officials are still operating in an outdated system. It was an uphill battle that I ultimately lost. But that setback just made me more determined. I\u2019m known for being relentless in the cage and I\u2019m that way outside of the cage, too.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>While thriving in the cage\u2014he was ranked in the top 15 among all UFC competitors\u2014 he continued to promote the therapeutic value of cannabis. His advocacy ruffled feathers at the UFC, which released him in the spring of 2019. At the time, he had won eight matches and lost just three. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-british-columbia-grants-therapeutic-use-exemption\">British Columbia grants therapeutic use exemption<\/h2>\n<p>Still, Theodorou was undeterred. Seven months later, in December 2019, he competed in a match in Windsor, Ont., where organizers didn\u2019t test competitors for cannabis use. He won by technical knock-out and attributed his success to the therapeutic benefits of cannabis. <\/p>\n<p>A month later, the British Columbia Athletic Commission granted him a therapeutic use exemption for medical cannabis, allowing him to use it while training and in preparation for competition without penalty. <\/p>\n<p>He was the first professional athlete in North America to receive that exemption. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-style-default\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" alt class=\"wp-image-183938 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-3.jpg,compress&w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-3.jpg,compress&w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-3.jpg,compress&w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports-3.jpg,compress&w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Theodorou is fighting to change how the sports world views the therapeutic use of cannabis in athletes. (Courtesy of JESSCO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The commission\u2019s decision was informed by a panel of independent physicians who determined that Theodorou would experience serious health problems without taking cannabis, that cannabis was not a performance-enhancing drug and that no other treatment could effectively treat his condition. <\/p>\n<p>It was a big victory for Theodorou and other advocates of medical cannabis. <\/p>\n<p>The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic put competition on hold but, once it restarted, Theodorou picked up where he had left off. In March 2021, he organized a fight in which he defeated former UFC competitor Matt Dwyer in Victoria, B.C. <\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-blazing-a-trail-for-athletes-country-by-country\">Blazing a trail for athletes, country by country<\/h2>\n<p>Two months after that, the State of Colorado granted Theodorou a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.prweb.com\/releases\/elias_theodorou_to_be_first_professional_athlete_to_compete_in_usa_with_medical_cannabis_exemption\/prweb18322959.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">therapeutic use exemption for medical cannabis<\/a>, making him the first professional athlete in the U.S. to get one. He was delighted. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt was surreal,\u201d he recalls. \u201cIt took years for officials in B.C. to give me that exemption but it happened really quickly in Colorado. I was dumbfounded.\u201d At that point, he decided he would fight to get a therapeutic use exemption \u201cstate by state, country by country\u201d if necessary. <\/p>\n<p>Theodorou plans to stage a fight in Denver next month. While finalizing plans for that, he continues to train and fight for acceptance of medical cannabis in professional sports. <\/p>\n<p>He is working with <a href=\"https:\/\/athletesforcare.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Athletes for CARE<\/a>, an organization that advocates for research, education and compassion when addressing athletes\u2019 health issues, and he talks to his peers about cannabis. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOlympians and others have reached out to me to ask about the benefits of cannabis,\u201d he says. \u201cI tell them to speak to their doctors because you need professional supervision when taking medical cannabis. I took that step and it changed my life.\u201d <\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports.jpg\" alt=\"Randi Druzin's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>Randi Druzin<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Randi Druzin is an author and journalist in Toronto. She has worked at several major media outlets, including the National Post and the CBC, and has written for dozens of publications, such as The New York Times, Time magazine, ESPN The Magazine, and The Globe and Mail.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/randi-druzin\">View Randi Druzin’s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly’s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --> <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2021-11-10 19:15:18 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This MMA fighter is taking on cannabis stigma in sports – Leafly Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You’re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Mixed martial artist Elias Theodorou stepped out of the ring recently to attend MJBizCon, a cannabis industry conference and expo in Las Vegas. The Canadian athlete was there on a mission\u2014to promote organizations and brands that are striving to break the… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2316,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/11\/this-mma-fighter-is-taking-on-cannabis-stigma-in-sports.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2315"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2315\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2316"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}