More gamers are consuming the cannabis compound CBD to help them excel in competitions
Not only is cannabidiol (CBD) a topic of discussion for sports and competitive leagues, but it’s in the eSports scene as well. In the last couple of years, many celebrities from the sports industry, such as basketball players, golfers, swimmers, gymnasts and tennis players, are being open about the use of CBD to treat a number of mental and physical health problems. Competing in an eSports league at a professional level comes with the same feelings of anxiety and nervousness before a match and most eSports leagues in the world, even the largest ones, currently forbid CBD as it might give a “neurocognitive boost” that will result in an unfair advantage. However, this is changing rapidly.
The Electronic Sports League (ESL) is way more permissive than regular sports leagues as it has declared to not care about what substances do gamers use in their own time. It explains in its rules, “Recreational use of it outside (before) the event days will not be punished. Using it during the tournament — from the start of the first day until the end of the last day of competition — is strictly prohibited.”
Even though it might be useful to use CBD during a competition to deal with the nerves and anxiety, for now, it won’t be possible. It does make sense to have CBD as a companion for training periods and have an overall quality of life good enough to be focused on winning.
CBD could be a great alternative for gamers to deal with any muscle pain in the back or neck from the long hours in the computer training. It can also do much for the anxiety –social or performance — that an upcoming competition might cause, with the social stigma that gamers are shy and reserved, for those cases that it is true it can signify the biggest relief. No anxiety means better rest at night and CBD can help all along, even boost the focus on the game and improve in skills.