CBD and Sport

Enecta embraced the cause of wellness and of sports at 360 degrees from the beginning of its activity, connecting its brand to various projects in which physical activity, enhancement of the territory and of human and social relationships were united.

A bond, the one between Enecta and sports, based also and especially on the numerous important benefits which can make Cannabis, and more specifically CBD or cannabidiol, an important element in the diet and habits of those practicing sports activities both regularly and occasionally.

This tangible commitment, along with the increasing use of CBD by athletes and insiders of the sports world, especially professionals, makes the dichotomy ‘CBD and Sport’ increasingly important and worthy of attention.

Sports activity and that sense of wellbeing

The typical feeling of euphoria and wellbeing one senses after a workout or a sports activity is due to endorphins, substances produced naturally by our organism and helping us to fight fatigue and stress.

Contributing to the creation of this pleasant sensation is also another element: anandamide, an acid neurotransmitter, part of the endocannabinoid family.  

Anandamide is naturally produced by the body and is connected to feelings of euphoria, relief from pain, wellbeing and relaxation.

Hence CBD could play an important role, due to its capability of increasing the quantity of anandamide available in the organism after a sports activity, with consequent psycho-physical benefits.

Which are the main benefits of CBD for athletes?

CBD, besides fostering a general and all-over sense of wellbeing in our organism, has also got other properties which can be more specific and targeted.

CBD inhibits pain and inflammation by means of some glycine and adenosine receptors, proposing itself as an effective natural remedy in various cases, included traumas, bruises or inflammatory states.

CBD is an effective antiemetic and can help to contrast nausea and the sensation of generalized fatigue after an intensive workout.

It is also a neuroprotectant, it has the capability of interrupting the flow of chemical substances, for example, during a concussion, thus protecting our brain cells.  

Cannabis and Sport, what does the Law say?

Before the  World Anti-Doping Agency adopted the World Anti-Doping Code in 2004, cannabis was prohibited by the sports federations.  

The List of Prohibited Substances is based on the following three criteria:

Potential of improving performance 

Risk for the athlete’s health

Violation of the spirit of sport

Cannabis in the past was often called into question as a negative substance for the athlete, due to the possible alterations of time-space perception, with their negative consequences during the sports activity.

In 2002, when over a quarter of all positive tests carried out by the French International Olympic Committee (IOC) were positive, due to the presence of cannabinoids, a survey was conducted from which the positive link emerged between the level of competitiveness in sports and the use of  cannabis.

In the 80s the public opinion in the United States was contrary to the use of cannabis and many professional athletes, especially in contact sports, had to resort to opiate drugs to treat pain and inflammations; this generated actual cases of dependence.

The testimony of Jake Plummer is exemplifying; a former quarterback of the NFL between the ’90 and 2000, who launched a campaign for the legalisation of cannabis and its derivatives for sportspeople.

In 2013, the Word anti-doping Agency (WADA), raised the tolerance level for the active principles of cannabis detectable in an athlete; from 15 nanograms per ml it was raised to 150 nanograms per ml.

Ross Rebagliati, Olympic snowboard winner regularly used CBD, testifying that cannabidiol is not a taboo anymore among sportspeople.

Taking CBD after a competition can significantly contribute to muscle recovery; Avery Collins, winner of five ultramarathons, in an interview to The Guardian, told how he utilises Cannabis and its extracts.

The Olympic Games of Rio 2016 were the first to have a regulation on cannabis.

From February 1, 2018 the WADA officially removed cannabidiol (CBD) from the list of prohibited substances, opening new opportunities for athletes.

Enecta and Sport

Enecta has been promoting for some years now the relationship between CBD and Sport with the objective to make the potentialities of this molecule known and at the same time to promote a lifestyle connected to psychophysical wellbeing of the individual.

The initiatives launched personally by Enecta are Free Fitness and Bike Tour.

Enecta Free Fitness

Enecta Free Fitness is a project created in Bologna in February 2017 and is an initiative which provides individuals of each gender, age and physical shape, the possibility to exercise in the open air for free, in the company of other people and guided by a professional.

Each Wednesday and Thursday at 18.40 in the Giardini Margherita in Bologna and under the guidance and supervision of qualified personal trainers, a workout of one hour takes place.

Today Enecta Free Fitness is made up by a community of over 200 individuals, and it was natural for us to start other secondary initiatives: Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Gentle Exercise, Running, Mummies in Shape, Mindfulness for Sport, Fit-walking.
But the most important thing is that the project is expanding and that from May 4 it will also start in Naples!

Enecta Bike Tour

If Free Fitness started in Bologna, being the city in which the operational headquarters of Enecta are situated, the Bike Tour takes place in the territories in which we can find a large part of the Cannabis cultivations which are transformed into our products.

Just like the decision of cultivating was a way of enhancing the territory with regard to economic revenue, founding the headquarters of the Bike Tour there is a way of promoting the natural riches and beauty of a territory which is scarcely visited and little-known from this point of view.

The three day tour will start with a visit to the Cannabis fields of Green Valley, an Abruzzi farm, partner of Enecta in cultivation, while the following two days will be a trail through the most enchanting places of the heart of Abruzzo.

A total of about 160 km during which the caravan will make a stop at the Rifugio di Passo Godi, from which it will return the following day to reach Castelvecchio Subequo again.

A Tour created non with the spirit characterising a cycling race, but as a moment of sharing sport, wellbeing as well as knowledge and awareness on cannabis.

CrossFit and Spartan Race sponsorships

To conclude the picture of the commitment of Enecta in sports are two initiatives, which were the actual first steps in this area: the sponsorships of the gym CrossFit Roveri, Bologna, and the Spartan Race athlete Jack Colomba.

The challenges for the future

Always looking ahead, the objective is that of increasingly reinforcing its presence in the world of sport with new projects, new cities to be involved, new challenges: Enecta intends to become advocate and promotor of this new scientific and cultural approach to Cannabis, trying to involve “the broad public” in the most effective and wide-ranging way, in line with the values in which Enecta believes and which the company pursues every day with its work.