Josiah Hesse is an investigative journalist who writes about cannabis, politics, evangelical culture, theology and is a regular contributor to the Guardian and Vice. 10 years ago, Josiah found himself bored with running, which increasingly discouraged him from getting out. His world changed after trying an edible and before long Josiah was immersed in a running subculture known to a select few. The runs became frequent, enjoyable and the one constant was cannabis.
Today, the cannabis and sports worlds have collided, disrupting outdated mentalities and providing athletes a clean alternative to traditional modalities. Cannabidiol, widely referred to as CBD, has shown to have therapeutic properties that can help athletes with recovery, inflammation, anxiety, sleep, and even provide an added boost during a long run. In recent years we have seen ultra marathon runners like Avery Collins come to the forefront and share their journeys with cannabis.
With an opportunity to shift the conversation and put cannabis front stage, Josiah Hesse wrote Runner’s High, taking readers through the secret world of stoned athletes and the cannabis inspired physical, mental transformation he experienced. His mission is pure and simple, “take the groundbreaking science out of the lab and onto the trail, court, field, and fundamentally change the way we think about exercise, recovery, relief and cannabis”.
Josiah Hesse joined Jay Morzaria of Sports Cannabis to talk about running, cannabis and his book “Runner’s High”;
Jay Morzaria :
Reflecting on 2021, talk to us about one moment that stuck out to you?
Josiah Hesse :
“While it was devastating news for her, the Sha’Carri Richardson debacle at the Summer Olympics created a national dialogue around cannabis use in sports. Unfortunately, it seems everyone’s takeaway was; Of course cannabis isn’t a performance enhancing drug, if anything it slows you down. While I don’t think WADA should ban cannabis (as it doesn’t ban a whole host of substances with similar effects, yet are wildly more toxic), I wish more people were open to the nuance of cannabis’ effects on athletes, and less reverting to tired stereotypes about the lazy stoner. “
JM :
What was your Cannabis Ah-Ha moment?
JH :
“Running trails, particularly at dusk or after dark, with around 10-20mg of THC in my belly and some classic rock (Queen, Meatloaf, Springsteen) on my headphones. I’d experienced similar sensations when stoned on the dance floor in my 20s, but it wasn’t until I was alone in nature that I could really identify and lean into the euphoria of stoned cardio.“
JM :
How does cannabis ultimately help you?
JH :
“Cannabis transports me to realms of intense passion, where my joy for any given activity (be it running, writing, or cleaning) is accelerated to the point where everything else dissolves into silence and I become lost in every nuance of it. It transformed me from a sedentary, depressed, high school dropout with a drinking problem, into an accomplished writer and runner.”
JM :
You recently released an incredible book with the world, Runner’s High. It starts with the opening scene of a marathon and the second paragraph reads;
“We’ve all paid a decent chunk of money, devoted hundreds of hours in training, and endured near crucifixion-levels of pain (not to mention climbing out of bed at this unholy hour). And for what? I ask myself. Why exactly am I doing this?…”
-J Hesse
With everything going on, why take a stand and write about Runner’s High?
JH :
“There were a few things. First, I loved running high, so I knew I’d have fun describing the experience to readers. When learning about the tremendous volume of pro athletes that were using cannabis (around 50-80% according to my sources), the sociological implications of this were tremendous, since the world of athletics has a reputation for being conservative. Finally, there was a deluge of research coming out surrounding the evolutionary reward system of our brains creating the (sober) runners high, and how its all regulated by endocannabinoids—particularly anandamide. As a journalist, this was all too enticing to ignore.“
JM :
How prevalent is cannabis in marathons and with runners today?
JH:
“In the elite running world, it’s wildly popular, especially with ultra and trail runners. Though since its still so taboo, and can threaten someone’s career (which, in America, is akin to threats on your life), most people are still closeted about it. I’ve heard from other ultra runners that around 90% of trail runners are using cannabis. And there was a fascinating anonymous poll out of CU Boulder, looking at the exercise habits of people in legalized states; around 80% of respondents said they use cannabis before, during and/or after their workouts.“
JM :
In your eyes, is cannabis a performance enhancer?
JH :
“Yes, but not how we traditionally understand that term. Cannabis won’t take you beyond your natural limits, like steroids will. However, it will change your relationship to pain, reduce inflammation and, perhaps most important of all, return you to a state of present playfulness, which lights up the brain like nothing else, instilling a greater passion, focus and enjoyment of the activity. Those unfamiliar with athletics may not understand how important these things are—thinking of fitness as a purely physical endeavor—but ask any ultramarathon runner and they’ll tell you, the game is only 10% physical, and 90% mental.”
JM :
What are you hoping readers will take away from your book?
JH :
“That exercise does not have to be a grueling endeavour, a discipline in pursuit of some far away goal. Exercise is as much a part of our evolutionary reward system as food, sleep or sex. We’ve lost touch with the pleasure of working out in the 20th century, thinking it was something to transcend. I’m not going to tell anyone how to workout, but for me getting out of the gym, ditching Strava and losing all ties to competition help me get the most joy out of my workouts. Garth Brooks once said “I may not be the best musician to ever grace the stage, but I guarantee I’m having the most fun.” That’s the way I feel about trail running, I may not have impressive numbers, but I’m probably enjoying it more than anyone on that mountain.”
JM :
Have you faced any criticism or negative repercussions for advocating for Cannabis?
JH :
“No, and that was disappointing. I was eagerly awaiting a lot of pearl-clutching, think-of-the-children Nancy Reagan types calling me a monster. Even on that abominable Fox News show, Gutfeld, they discussed my book and most everyone agreed cannabis can be helpful to athletes. The one dissenter was Brian Kilmeade, who said “maybe it’ll make you have more fun, but if you wanna be a winner marijuana won’t help you.” Well, there are a lot of pro athletes who would disagree with him, but personally I nodded along, thinking: yeah, I’m not interested in winning shit, other than a pleasant afternoon.“
JM :
As a writer and athlete are you excited about a new frontier of cannabis exploration, whether it’s exploring the flow state, advocating for the plant or providing invaluable stories to impact the community?
JH :
“I enjoy unpacking the stigma around cannabis use: where it came from, why it persists, how detached from reality it is. Humans have been consuming cannabis throughout our existence, as a medicine, a recreational intoxicant and athletic enhancement. Most people are only aware of its 20th century history with hippies and Nixon.“
JM :
Any last comments for the community :
JH :
“For the most part, I don’t consider myself a cannabis activist. I’m a journalist. I like to run and get high, and found a lot of other people do, too, and there’s a lot of fun science behind it, so I wrote a book about it. I don’t want to encourage anyone to use cannabis. I just want to provide information about the experience in a fun book.”
SPORTS CANNABIS
TORONTO, ONTARIO,
CANADA
info@sportscannabis.ca
BREAKTHESTIGMA
Sports Cannabis 