Marijuana slows you down, right?!?! Is it performance enhancer?!?! A performance reducer?
Not so fast! In a first study of its kind, researchers looked at objective accelerometer data compared to the frequency of marijuana use. Compared to non-users, frequent users were actually MORE active than non-users in terms of light and moderate activity. These, of course, are statistical group differences so individual results may vary (Ong et al., 2021).
Should We Smoke To Move?
Does this mean to increase physical activity, doctors should prescribe marijuana?!?! That’s an interesting question by itself. In the event that no other environmental interventions, assessing the effects of physical activity following marijuana consumption is an empirical question.
How Could You Validate the Prescription?
With repeated measures, and systematically altering marijuana consumption, you could ask a variety of individual-level questions such as:
What are the effects of marijuana use vs. non-use on exercise?
Do particular strains impact physical activity differently? If so, which ones? And which strains do what?
How soon do the effects of marijuana affect individual physical activity levels? And for how long? Do effects wear off?
And remember, these are fundamental scientific steps to answer these questions. You can insert any substance or intervention to compare on these graphs!
Reference
Ong, L. Q., Bellettiere, J., Alvarado, C., Chavez, P., & Berardi, V. (2021). Cannabis use, sedentary behavior, and physical activity in a nationally representative sample of US adults. Harm Reduction Journal, 18(1), 1-10.
