Today's Marijuana Isn't Smoked in Joints, but With the Help of a Blowtorch.

Here’s what we learned about today's marijuana from our speakers at the Sport Exchange Summit last week:

YES, the traditional, herbal cannabis sativa and cannabis indica are botanical plants.

NO, many new users are not smoking herbal cannabis anymore—more on edibles and butane hash oil (BHO) later.

YES, recreational marijuana is legal in four states (Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska), and the District of Columbia.

NO, medical marijuana is not covered through medical exceptions or therapeutic use exemptions (TUE) in sport.

YES, there are some medicinal benefits from the cannabidiol (CBD) components of the flower.

NO, the CBD concentrations of marijuana are not increasing with rising THC potency.

Slide Courtesy of CeDAR speakers Dr. LaTisha Bader and Ben Cort, July 2016. 

Slide Courtesy of CeDAR speakers Dr. LaTisha Bader and Ben Cort, July 2016. 

YES, the THC (psychoactive element) concentration of marijuana is increasing exponentially.

NO, THC-laced edibles and drinks aren’t better or “healthier” forms of consumption.

YES, marijuana is being marketed blatantly to all generations, income levels, and demographics—even to children.

NO, marijuana is not “safer” than alcohol or other illicit drugs.

YES, 1 in 6 adolescents and 1 in 10 adults who try marijuana will become addicted to it.

NO, 420 is not as relevant as 710 in 2016.

Slide Courtesy of CeDAR speakers Dr. LaTisha Bader and Ben Cort, July 2016. 

YES, butane is used to strip the THC from marijuana plant material to create BHO concentrates.

NO, not all of the butane is removed before users light up a blow torch and take a “dab” hit to get high.

Slide Courtesy of CeDAR speakers Dr. LaTisha Bader and Ben Cort, July 2016. 

YES, BHO concentrates are up to 90% THC and deliver the equivalent of smoking 5 joints in just one dab hit. 

NO, marijuana and THC-containing edibles or oils are not regulated to ensure safety, efficacy, or truth in labeling.

Slide Courtesy of CeDAR speakers Dr. LaTisha Bader and Ben Cort, July 2016. 

YES, that means that one “serving” of an edible (10mg = legal dose) could be as small as the ear of a gummy bear—NOT the whole bear, or the full package of six gummy bears sold to the user.

NO, legalization hasn’t made marijuana less of a concern.

OH, and did we mention the significant (and irreversible) decline in IQ points seen in frequent users?

Colorado-based addiction practitioner and licensed psychologist, Dr. LaTisha Bader, and long-term recovered addict, Ben Cort, shocked and awakened attendees at the 2016 Sport Exchange Summit with their straight-forward and relevant presentation on marijuana.  Their message to all members of the “team behind the team”—including parents—was to “know your 2-minute talk.” Understand behavior change, know the perceptions surrounding use, know the consequences of use, and set expectations with athletes. Express your concern and engage in well-informed dialogue on the subject. 

Slide Courtesy of CeDAR speakers Dr. LaTisha Bader and Ben Cort, July 2016. 

For additional help and resources, we’ve provided some links below.

More Education on Marijuana: 

• The Drug Free Sport Speakers Bureau is scheduling education sessions for Fall 2016 and Spring 2017. To invite a speaker to your campus to discuss marijuana or other issues in sport, please contact our Education Program Manager, Anna Filardo, at afilardo@drugfreesport.com or 816-285-1429.

 

• Join Dr. LaTisha Bader and Ben Cort for their webinar "New Trends & Consequences of Marijuana Use Today"  hosted by Drug Free Sport. The live webinar will be on August 23, 2016, from 1-2pm Central Time. Click here to register. Space is limited to the first 100 registrants. 

Resource Links:

CeDAR/University of Colorado Hospital (Ascent Track)

Project SAM (Smart Approaches to Marijuana)

National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA)

Peer reviewed, Published Studies and Other Resources on Marijuana:

Hall, W. (2015), What has research over the past two decades revealed about the adverse health effects of recreational cannabis use?. Addiction, 110: 19–35. doi: 10.1111/add.12703

Adverse Health Effects of Marijuana Use, by Nora D. Volkow, M.D., Ruben D. Baler, Ph.D., Wilson M. Compton, M.D., and Susan R.B. Weiss, Ph.D., published online June 4, 2014 in The New England Journal of Medicine

Marta Di Forti, Arianna Marconi, Elena Carra, Sara Fraietta, Antonella Trotta, Matteo Bonomo, et al. Proportion of patients in south London with first-episode psychosis attributable to use of high potency cannabis: a case-control study. The Lancet Psychiatry, Vol. 2, No. 3, p233–238. Published online: February 16, 2015

Rocky Mountain HIDTA Volume 2/August 2014 Report, “The Legalization of Marijuana in Colorado: The Impact.”

Marijuana Legalization in Colorado: Early Findings. March 2016.  Produced by the Colorado Department of Public Safety.

Sport Exchange Summit: Background & Purpose

Drug Free Sport is a sport drug-testing company, so why are you hosting an educational conference?

Drug Free Sport is in a unique position to bring all sport professions together to further our mission to ensure fair and safe sport, and help to champion athlete well-being and collaboration among all athletic staff within a sport organization.

Education remains a large component of Drug Free Sport’s mission and business model and we are often on campus or in sport organization facilities observing and interacting with a variety sport professions. The programs that really shine in our eyes when it comes to complete athlete care and performance are those that fulfill a complete spectrum of sport disciplines, AND successfully work together. This appears in many ways including the collaboration between the athletic trainer and sports dietitian regarding an athlete with disordered eating; the strength and conditioning specialist noticing changes in the athlete’s energy and performance in the weight room and communicating concern to the athletic trainer for assessment of proper joint function and range of motion; the team physician sharing post-op reports with the sports dietitian and trainer to complete a full recovery plan for the athlete; and more.

What makes the Sport Exchange Summit different from other sport conferences?

Unfortunately, we find that many sport organizations currently do not operate with the full incorporation, sharing, and communication needed to engage all professions integral to athlete care and performance. Internally, operations are riddled with interdepartmental competition rather than collaboration and effective communication.

We felt that hosting a conference on some of the most important topics surrounding athlete well-being was a start, but only if we could encourage multidisciplinary participation. Compared to other specialty conferences where similar vocations learn with like-minded peers, we strive to bring variety to this unique learning opportunity. How many times have athletic trainers, sports dietitians, team physicians, strength and conditioning specialists, coaches, sports psychologists, administrators, compliance personnel, and other disciplines gathered together under one roof to discuss some of the most pressing issues related to athlete performance and well-being?

The conference will promote valuable discussion and networking opportunities for participants to learn from a variety of programs (high school, collegiate, professional) and professions. Content is driven to provide cutting edge developments and hot topics in sport, as well as the opportunity to showcase “what works” for successful athletic programs.  

So you want to encourage collaboration? How did this idea come about?

Collaborative engagements seem rare in the sports industry. Just like the athletes they serve, athletic personnel work more often in competitive environments. Limited sharing of expertise or communications regarding athlete well-being can limit athlete potential and the success of the greater organization or team. The Sport Exchange Summit hopes to change this mindset by offering a multidisciplinary concept for continuing education and professional development. Ideally, this approach will bring people from different backgrounds and sport professions together—allowing for shared learning and enhanced discussion on important topics in the industry.

Who do you want to collaborate?                             

The Sport Exchange Summit will bring together athletic directors, certified athletic trainers, team coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, sports dietitians, sport psychologists, team physicians, and other personnel to learn, discuss, and engage with one another on relevant topics.

What do you hope the attendees will get out of the Summit this July?

Ultimately, the hope is they learn something new that they can take back to their program and discuss effective opportunities to improve current models for athlete care. AND, the idealist in all of us hopes that they begin to shift their thinking and welcome the added expertise of other disciplines within their organization when looking to positively influence athlete performance and recovery gains.

But, for the avid conference attendee, we also have set forth the following learning objectives.

Attendees will be able to:

• Summarize current, pressing topics affecting athlete health and performance at all levels of competition. 
• Identify challenges and opportunities in creating a more collaborative (versus competitive) professional environment within sports organizations to enhance player development, health, and performance. 
• Consider the significance and psycho-social relevance of race and diversity, transgender, prescription and recreational drug abuse, drug-testing, and “life after sports” concerns for athletes within today’s sports organizations.  
• Describe the importance and impact of building a collaborative sports medicine and performance family that includes sports nutrition, sports psychology, and effective player engagement. 

The Sport Exchange Summit is a dense one-and-a-half day conference with hot and relevant topics that will help to grow athlete health and wellness. We hope you’ll consider joining us and take a positive step to increase collaboration at your respective program. Visit sportexchangesummit.com for more information and to register. Only 5 weeks left!

Continuing education credits are available for sport dietitians, certified athletic trainers, strength and conditioning specialists, and licensed psychologists.

Employee Spotlight: Michaela Stemmons, MA, ATC – Senior Sport Drug Testing Program Manager

Our people are some of our best assets at Drug Free Sport, with a wide array of experience and professional certifications that are relevant to your work and our industry. We want to introduce you to the great people that we have, including their experiences inside and outside of our company walls. 

Michaela Stemmons is a 14-year member of Drug Free Sport and has touched most individual collegiate drug testing accounts over her tenure. She’s known for her positive, infectious energy. Recently, Michaela traveled more than 8,000 miles to Manila, Philippines, to do her part in making the world a better place. Here's a brief account of her experience:

Halfway across the world in a place that didn’t look, smell, or taste like my own neighborhood, I was reminded to “never doubt that a small group of highly committed and dedicated people can change the world.”  This has now become one of my most favorite life mantras.  Partially adapted from Margaret Mead, cultural anthropologist, this quote is the first to grab your attention in the international headquarters of Global Surge, the Christian ministry located in Metro Manila, Philippines. The quote (left) is an encouragement that I will remember often. 

In March 2016, I traveled with a small team of men and women from my hometown church in Parkville, MO.  We trained and prepared for a short-term mission trip that would change our lives forever.  For me, the opportunity gave me hope in the least likely places, allowed my peripheral vision of missions to expand and reminded me not to limit my faith.  I can’t wait to return. 

 While in the Philippines, we worked with multiple, diverse ministries under the larger umbrella of Global Surge: 

• We were there in the poorest neighborhoods to support Kidzjam, an outreach that taught the kids songs and Bible stories. 
• We supported one of many feeding centers, where the kids had to medically and financially qualify for assistance.
• We also attended a graduation of 800, of which 400 had completed their education at the Baptist Bible College Asia, preparing them for a life in ministry. 
• Additionally, we helped clean and prepare a new gym for Tough Guys International, run by trained martial arts black belts aimed to help troubled and at-risk youth. 
• On top of these, we supported two local churches started by Global Surge and several missionaries. 
• We did not make it to a Youth Jam camp event, but this evangelistic ministry may be the most impressive, considering they celebrated their one-millionth camper registration in February! Global Surge has grown tremendously in a short number of years, impacting thousands of lives.  

 

 

One of my most favorite opportunities was while helping to clean and prepare a new gym for Tough Guys International.  While I took a break outside, I met three young kids who were wandering the streets, asking for money.  Quickly, they figured out that I didn’t speak any Tagalog (a local language) and I figured out the young boy in the group knew some English.  We spent most of our time teaching each other songs and games such as rock-paper-scissors and naming body parts and articles of clothing.  We laughed a lot, but I was broken when I learned that there was not any food at home for these kids and likely, an absence of parents.  If they weren’t in school, they were helping drivers find parking spots to make money for food or begging for money.  Otherwise, they didn’t eat. 

Michaela (right) with her new friends.

Parts of this trip were very difficult, but in the poorest of places, there still seemed to be communities that were kind, supportive of one another, and looking for hope. There seemed to be brave kids who banded together and still laughed at silly things.  But, it was the Filipino missionaries who also gave me an opportunity to shift my thinking.  They greeted us by asking our names and our ministry.  This was most interesting, considering everyone I know asks about my job or asks about what neighborhood I live in, but not the missionaries.  They just wanted to know how I was planning to make a difference in the world.  So, I figure that I have some important work to do, which includes showing up in places that others won’t and encouraging others.  Overall, the message of Global Surge is clear.  It is to impact, inspire and influence. I don’t see any reason why I can’t do that in my own community.