A new study shows that contrary to lazy stoner stereotypes, legal medical marijuana “promotes greater physical activity” in people with chronic medical conditions and that “legal recreational cannabis promotes (even more so) greater physical activity in those not experiencing chronic medical conditions.”
“In the U.S. adult population, current cannabis use is significantly associated with higher prevalence of physical activity,” the new paper, published this month in the Journal of Cannabis Research, concludes. “The prevalence of physical activity is significantly greater in U.S. states and territories where cannabis is legalized for recreational and medical purposes (vs. not legal).”
The study, from researchers at Brigham Young University’s public health department, analyzed the association between cannabis use and physical activity in adults 18 and older in the U.S. from 2016 to 2022. Authors used data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System, which consists of national telephone surveys about “health-related risks behaviors, chronic health conditions, and use of preventive services,” the report explains.
“There appears to be some benefits associated with cannabis use for those with chronic medical conditions that allow them to be more physically active, possibly because cannabis helps control pain and inflammation.”
Notably, while self-reported physical activity was higher in cannabis users, that difference was only significant in jurisdictions where marijuana is legal in some form, whether for adult or medical use.
“The association between current cannabis use and physical activity is not significant in areas where cannabis is illegal,” the study says, “but significantly positive in areas where it is legal, more so for legal recreational cannabis.”
“As cannabis becomes increasingly accessible through legalization, there is greater potential for people to use it to influence their physical activity.”
Authors note that when respondents were asked about their primary reasons for using marijuana, physical activity wasn’t generally associated with medical cannabis use, though it was for recreational consumption.
“Where cannabis was used to improve the physical activity experience, it may be to improve their focus and enjoyment, or to enhance the mind-body-spirit connection and improve recovery by improving sleep quality and lowering pain,” the study says. Authors added that while medical marijuana users didn’t identify physical activity as a chief reason for cannabis use, “lower physical activity among those people with chronic medical conditions may be ameliorated in some cases by cannabis use.”
Commenting on the findings, NORML Deputy Director Paul Armentano emphasized that the findings run counter to what many people still assume about people who use marijuana.
“These conclusions contradict longstanding stereotypes alleging that cannabis consumers are lazy or apathetic,” he said in a blog post. “It’s unfortunate that many of these false claims have historically guided public health messaging about cannabis and have also been used to stigmatize and discriminate against those who consume it responsibly.”
Authors note that their findings are consistent with some studies, but not all, into the association with between cannabis and physical activity.
“Legalization of cannabis directly corresponded to greater physical activity, especially with legalized recreational cannabis.”
Earlier this year, for example, similar research using data from Canada found that young to midlife adults were neither more sedentary nor more intensely active after consuming cannabis—though recent use was associated with a “marginal increase” in light exercise.
“Our findings provide evidence against existing concerns that cannabis use independently promotes sedentary behavior and decreases physical activity,” those researchers wrote, adding that “the stereotypical ‘lazy stoner’ archetype historically portrayed with chronic cannabis use does not acknowledge the diverse uses of cannabis today.”
The report, published in the journal Cannabis and Cannabinoid Research, drew on data from Canada’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which, during its 2011–2012 and 2013–2014 cycles, included information from wrist-worn accelerometers that tracked participants’ physical activity. Participants, who were all between ages 18 and 59, also answered a Drug Use Questionnaire that asked about current and lifetime use of substances such as cannabis, cocaine, heroin and methamphetamine.
Another report, from February, found that people who use marijuana take more walks on average compared to non-users and e-cigarette users. The study, published in the journal Preventive Medicine Reports late last month, also found that marijuana consumers are no less likely to engage in basic exercise and strength training compared to non-users.
In another stereotype-busting study that was published in 2021, researchers found that frequent marijuana consumers are actually more likely to be physically active compared to their non-using counterparts.
A separate 2019 study found that people use cannabis to elevate their workout tend to get a healthier amount of exercise. It also concluded that consuming before or after exercising improved the experience and aided in recovery.
Various other recent findings similarly challenge widely held preconceptions about cannabis users. For example, a report last month concluded that there’s no association between habitual marijuana use and paranoia or decreased motivation. The research also found no evidence that marijuana consumption causes a hangover the next day.
A 2022 study on marijuana and laziness, meanwhile, found no difference in apathy or reward-based behavior between people who used cannabis on at least a weekly basis and non-users. Frequent marijuana consumers, that study found, actually experienced more pleasure than those who abstained.
Separate research published in 2020 found that “compared to older adult nonusers, older adult cannabis users had lower [body mass index] at the beginning of an exercise intervention study, engaged in more weekly exercise days during the intervention, and were engaging in more exercise-related activities at the conclusion of the intervention.”
A report published last December, meanwhile, examined neurocognitive effects in medical marijuana patients, finding that “prescribed medical cannabis may have minimal acute impact on cognitive function among patients with chronic health conditions.”
Another report, published March in the journal Current Alzheimer Research, linked marijuana use to lower odds of subjective cognitive decline (SCD), with consumers and patients reporting less confusion and memory loss compared to non-users.
A report published in April that drew on dispensary data found that cancer patients reported being able to think more clearly when using medical marijuana. They also said it helped manage pain.
A separate study of teens and young adults at risk of developing psychotic disorders found that regular marijuana use over a two-year period did not trigger early onset of psychosis symptoms—contrary to the claims of prohibitionists who argue that cannabis causes mental illness. In fact, it was associated with modest improvements in cognitive functioning and reduced use of other medications.
“CHR youth who continuously used cannabis had higher neurocognition and social functioning over time, and decreased medication usage, relative to non-users,” authors of that study wrote. “Surprisingly, clinical symptoms improved over time despite the medication decreases.”
A separate study published by the American Medical Association (AMA) in January that looked at data from more than 63 million health insurance beneficiaries found that there’s “no statistically significant increase” in psychosis-related diagnoses in states that have legalized marijuana compared to those that continue to criminalize cannabis.
Studies from 2018, meanwhile, found that marijuana may actually increase working memory and that cannabis use doesn’t actually change the structure of the brain.
And, contrary to then-President Donald Trump’s claim that marijuana makes people “lose IQ points,” the National Institute of Drug Abuse (NIDA) says the results of two longitudinal studies “did not support a causal relationship between marijuana use and IQ loss.”
Research has shown that people who use cannabis can see declines in verbal ability and general knowledge but that “those who would use in the future already had lower scores on these measures than those who would not use in the future, and no predictable difference was found between twins when one used marijuana and one did not.”
“This suggests that observed IQ declines, at least across adolescence, may be caused by shared familial factors (e.g., genetics, family environment), not by marijuana use itself,” NIDA concluded.
Keep out of reach of children. For use only by adults 21 years of age and older.
