I love to run, and I also love getting high. Combining the two has always felt right to me. So much so that, before I lace up my trainers, I often have at least a little blast on my dry-herb vape.
Sitting in my garage smoking a small joint (don’t tell my clinic!) or using a DHV at my desk before my run has become a pre-run ritual. I have even used cannabis in cold corners of carparks early in the morning before official races.
Quickly firing up the old volcano shortly before a run helps give me the encouragement I need to get out the door. Once I’ve made it out, being high on whilst running helps me focus; not necessarily on running, but on my other thoughts, which in turn allows me to develop a rhythm that can carry me the whole distance.
As a person who likes to run on my own, I can’t think of a better partner than weed for spending an hour or more loping through my local country park, enjoying the surroundings and trying to spot that elusive Green Woodpecker.
I naturally assumed that cannabis was playing a significant role in the performance improvements I’ve been seeing, as it helps me to enjoy running, encourages me to do it more often and assists me in finding that essential rhythm, but I may have been wrong!
Cannabis and exercise – the science
According to research, running or taking part in any kind of exercise under the influence of cannabis doesn’t produce any performance-enhancing effects. The following studies mostly found that using cannabis before exercising can have detrimental effects on performance and even health. However, they do highlight the increase in enjoyment that can arise from running stoned.
- A paper published in 2020 reviewed all 18 previous studies investigating the effects of cannabis consumption on exercise performance. The researchers found that using cannabis before exercise did not help with performance at all. In fact, their findings showed a reduction in the ability to maintain physical effort and their maximum work rate, an increase in heart and breathing rates, an increase in the amount of oxygen required by the heart, and a decrease in balance ability.
- A 2023 study showed similar negative consequences for using cannabis before exercise. Participants reported higher levels of exertion in their runs on cannabis compared to running without. However, this paper did highlight some positive aspects as participants reported higher levels of “runner’s high symptoms,” greater overall enjoyment of their run, and receiving a more “positive effect” from running.
- This paper from 2021 again does not find any evidence of cannabis having ergogenic properties, but it does touch on how cannabis and specifically CBD can indirectly help with exercise.
- Finally, a study from 2025 investigating the effects of CBD only on performance concluded that “Use of CBD by athletes is, therefore, unlikely to be ergolytic or ergogenic at low to moderate doses”. This means they found that CBD doesn’t negatively or positively affect exercise performance.
If cannabis doesn’t boost performance, how can your exercise benefit from it?
As the above studies found, enjoyment seems to be the biggest positive factor experienced by runners and people exercising while high. But can cannabis help with other aspects of being active and getting or staying fit and healthy? Science says yes.
- Sleep – Multiple studies have shown that cannabis aids sleep, and sleeping well is one of the most important factors contributing to a healthy and balanced lifestyle. Our endocannabinoid system (ECS) is thought to play a crucial role in sleep regulation, which can be assisted by the use of cannabis, especially in those who live with insomnia. Sleeping helps with multiple aspects of exercise, including muscle repair, hormone regulation, brain function, stress reduction and can boost motivation.
- Muscle recovery – When we exercise, our muscles are subjected to microscopic tears. When our body repairs these tears, the muscles grow in size and strength; it’s how we get stronger. Multiple studies have shown that cannabis, and specifically CBD, can be useful tools in aiding muscle recovery. Cannabis’ interactions with the ECS and immune system can produce potent anti-inflammatory effects that help with muscle repair.
- Mood enhancement – As I wrote previously, cannabis is great for lifting one’s mood; it’s one of the main reasons people use it. Being happier and less depressed makes it easier to put your trainers on and start moving.
- Overall enjoyment – The evidence clearly shows that using cannabis before a run or other exercise increases enjoyment. Personally, if I didn’t enjoy running, I don’t think I would do it. Cannabis definitely helps me enjoy my runs more.
- Enhancing mind-body-spirit connection – In a 2022 survey conducted in America, 65% of respondents said one of the reasons for using cannabis before or during exercise was to achieve a greater mind-body-spirit connection. This is something that resonates with me, as I spend a lot of time trying to clear my head when I exercise.
- Increase in time spent exercising – To see improvements in our fitness and results, we have to keep pushing ourselves. Because cannabis can result in us enjoying exercise more, we are more likely to want to continue to exercise, simple!
Should you start using cannabis to exercise?
There are a significant number of studies, papers, and systematic reviews researching this topic. Overall, there isn’t a solid consensus that using cannabis before exercise is a bad thing. But most do agree that its use can raise heart rate by up to 10%, which could be dangerous to some people.
Nearly all of the studies found that levels of enjoyment were higher when people used cannabis before exercise compared to when they didn’t. Coupled with the other direct and indirect benefits that can arise from using cannabis before or alongside exercise, such as running, it is not surprising that so many people report doing so.
Personally, I will continue to use cannabis alongside my running. It helps with my motivation and gets me into a rhythm, it doesn’t cause me any problems, and importantly, I thoroughly enjoy the process of preparing my cannabis, the actual smoking or vaping of it, and the way it makes me feel. I also find that cannabis helps me reconnect to nature, and as my runs are almost entirely off-road in the countryside, I find this another massive bonus.
If you already use cannabis while exercising, be careful and listen to your body. If you plan to start, speak to a doctor first, especially if you have a heart condition.
