BRIEF RESEARCH REPORT article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Sport and Exercise Nutrition
This article is part of the Research TopicNutraceuticals in SportsView all 10 articles
Cannabidiol Use Among Elite-Level Canadian Athletes: The Pursuit of Improved Sleep, Pain Relief, and Enhanced Recovery
Provisionally accepted
Dimitri Karam1
Erik Sesbreno2
Kelly Drager3
Susan Boegman4Lindsay R Duncan1
Dennis Jensen1
Tyler A. Churchward-Venne1*- 1McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- 2Institut National du Sport du Quebec, Montreal, Canada
- 3Canadian Sport Institute Alberta, Calgary, Canada
- 4Canadian Sport Institute Pacific, Victoria, Canada
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Introduction: Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound in the cannabis plant with psycho-physiological effects that may support athletes' training and recovery. Although not banned by the World Anti-Doping Agency, CBD products may carry a risk of inadvertent anti-doping violations due to contamination with prohibited cannabinoids. The primary objective of this study was to characterize the use, rationale, and perceived benefits of CBD use by elite-level athletes in Canada. The secondary objectives were to (1) identify the sources of information that influence CBD use, (2) describe how athletes are using CBD, and (3) explore the barriers or deterrents to its use. Design: Cross-sectional descriptive survey study. Methods: Elite-level Canadian athletes completed an anonymous online survey on CBD use between October 2021-June 2023. Results: 80 athletes completed the survey. 38% (n=30) had used CBD, with 30% (n=9) of CBD users reporting active/current use. CBD users cumulatively agreed or strongly agreed that CBD is safe (96%); improved sleep (93%) and relaxation (90%); and reduced pain from training (77%). Friends (26%) and the internet (24%) were the most frequently reported first sources of information on CBD. Oral tincture/oil was the most commonly used (31%) form of CBD. The most reported reason for never using or discontinuing CBD was concern about an anti-doping rule violation (28%). Discussion: Given the self-reported benefits of CBD among elite-level Canadian athletes, alongside concerns about inadvertent anti-doping violations, clinicians working with this population should provide evidence-based guidance on CBD use and support informed decision-making to minimize risk and optimize athlete safety.
Keywords: Cannabidiol, nutraceutical, elite-level athletes, Sleep, pain relief, Recovery
Received: 23 Sep 2025; Accepted: 19 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Karam, Sesbreno, Drager, Boegman, Duncan, Jensen and Churchward-Venne. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Tyler A. Churchward-Venne, tyler.churchward-venne@mcgill.ca
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.