Business
Celebrating Snow Sports With Cannabis
Athletes across the world are speaking up in support of cannabis. Now more than ever, athletes are feeling more comfortable publicly identifying as cannabis consumers. But there are a few pioneers in history who spoke in favor of cannabis before it was cool. Organizations like the World Anti-Doping Agency, however, have been slow to adapt to the growing need to use cannabis as a treatment for the pain that many athletes experience. In honor of the season, as well as the upcoming winter Olympics in February 2018 and the X Games, here are a few snow sports athletes that CULTURE wants to honor:
This Canadian olympic snowboarder won gold at the 1998 Nagano Olympic Winter Games in Japan, the first Olympics where snowboarding was an official event. Unfortunately, Rebagliati was stripped of his medal just a few days after winning because traces of cannabis was found in his system (he did end up getting it back though, after a lengthy fight). Although disheartening, this didn’t keep Rebagliati from rising up. In January 2013 he pursued the opening of a medical cannabis businesses in Canada called Ross’ Gold. This move has proven to be quite a smart one, as his business continues to excel, and Canada is well on its way to having one of the most solid and established recreational cannabis regulations in the world.
Well-known for his freestyle skiing abilities, Tanner hall has been an active participant in the X Games since 2001. Since then, he’s won multiple gold medals in the freestyle category, and now he’s officially partnered with a cannabis company to create the SKIBOSS Collection. The collection consists of rolling papers, a grating card and a portable lighter, which are all packaged in a small pouch for traveling. Hall partnered with Black Rock Originals, which aims to get rid of the stigma attached to cannabis consumers by creating videos that show active and athletic people using cannabis and living their lives. Hall agrees and supports this point of view. “I used it when I competed at the X Games,” he told The New Yorker in an interview. “It helps with the stress, with the anxiety. And then, afterwards, as a relaxing agent and pain reliever. When your body is all tensed up, if you’ve got a pinched nerve or something, chron helps with that. I wouldn’t think about not using when I ski, because I don’t really know anything else. I’ve used it on a daily basis for about half my life, since I was maybe 18 or 19. I prefer joints, but I also like edibles and vaporizers.”
Another freestyle skier, this athlete has participated both in the U.S. Freeskiing Open as well as the X Games. Earlier this year, Spriggs added Oregrown Industries to his list of sponsors. “I felt it was a perfect fit for me, to be part of something I really believe in,” Spriggs told The Bulletin. “They can really help me out, and through what I do, the lifestyle I live, where I’m fly fishing all summer and rock climbing at Smith Rock and doing a lot of different things, I can help push that lifestyle connection with cannabis.”
