Researchers have published a study which shows a correlation between cannabis use and an increase in the amount of daily exercise a person carries out. Uptakes in people’s cigarette and alcohol use were also linked to cannabis use.
The data was taken from a nationwide survey which monitored participants’ use of cannabis, alcohol, and cigarettes, and the amount of daily exercise they undertook over 28 days. It is one of the first times the daily ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) method used in this study was applied to cannabis research. EMAs are designed to capture participants’ thoughts, feelings, and actions while in their natural environment.
“Data from a 28-day nationwide study that prompted daily ecological momentary assessments were used to assess daily cannabis use, moderate-to-vigorous PA [physical activity] (MVPA), alcohol-containing drinks consumed, and cigarettes smoked,” the study said. “Only participants who reported cannabis use on at least one day during the study period were included in the analysis (N = 98). Generalized linear mixed models were used to examine associations between cannabis use and same-day health and substance use behaviors while adjusting for race, biological sex, and age.”
The results of the study showed a positive correlation between daily cannabis use and the amount of daily exercise. Participants exercised for nearly 3.5 minutes more on days when cannabis was used than on days when it was not.
Similarly, alcohol use and the number of cigarettes smoked per day were also shown to be higher on days when cannabis was used. On the days when participants had cannabis their alcohol use increased by 0.45 drinks, and smoking went up by 0.63 cigarettes.
The researchers concluded that using cannabis was linked to an increase in physical activity as well as alcohol and cigarette use.
“This study was among the first to use EMAs to examine associations between daily cannabis use and same-day PA, alcohol consumption, and cigarette use. Overall, findings indicated that daily cannabis use is associated with higher engagement in these daily health and substance use behaviors. Further research is needed to understand mechanisms linking cannabis use with these and other behaviors.”
These latest findings support other research that correlates cannabis use with increased levels of exercise or effort, dispelling the commonly held stereotype that cannabis consumers are lazy and unmotivated. A 2024 study by scientists from the University of Colorado found runners who used cannabis reported that it could enhance their experience. “The bottom-line finding is that cannabis before exercise seems to increase positive mood and enjoyment during exercise, whether you use THC or CBD. But THC products specifically may make exercise feel more effortful”, researchers wrote.
Meanwhile, a study also published in 2024 in the journal Social Psychological and Personality Science found that chronic cannabis users are motivated and exhibit willingness to carry out tasks that require effort.
“The cannabis literature, historically, tended to focus a lot on the negative medical consequences of chronic use,” said Michael Inzlicht, a professor at the University of Toronto Scarborough who was involved in the study. “There is a stereotype that chronic cannabis users are somehow lazy or unproductive.” However, this research showed that people were willing and motivated to exert the same level effort while high, even when compared to when they were not.
