By the OFFFIELD Editorial Team. Published June 6, 2026. Last updated June 23, 2026.

The short answer: In June 2026 the WNBA formally removed cannabis from its banned substances list as part of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. It joins the NBA, NCAA, NFL, and UFC in walking back punitive cannabis policy, and arrives weeks after the DOJ moved cannabis to Schedule III. The shift tracks the science: the endocannabinoid system is central to mood, pain, and recovery during exercise, and low-dose cannabinoids interact with that system rather than enhancing raw performance.

Key Takeaways

• The WNBA removed cannabis from its prohibited list in a new CBA, so players are no longer tested for it as a standard matter.
• It follows the NBA (2023), UFC (2023), NCAA Division I (2024), and NFL (2024), plus the DOJ moving cannabis to Schedule III in 2026.
• The endocannabinoid system (ECS) is a primary regulator of mood, pain, inflammation, sleep, and exercise response, which is why the policy is catching up to the science.
• Research suggests cannabis is an ECS modulator, not a traditional performance enhancer. The strongest support is for enjoyment, motivation, and recovery, with caveats.
• OFFFIELD's position has always been Run High, Not Stoned: precision, low-dose cannabinoids designed to support what the body already does during exercise.

For decades, professional athletes have operated under a simple and unforgiving rule: cannabis means consequences.

Fines. Suspensions. Public shaming. Careers derailed.

That era is ending, and this week, the WNBA made it official.

On June 4, 2026, the Women's National Basketball Association confirmed that cannabis has been formally removed from its list of prohibited substances, as part of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement ratified on May 22 by the WNBA and the Women's National Basketball Players' Association. The league joins the NBA (2023), the NCAA Division I (2024), the NFL (2024), and UFC (2023) in walking back decades of punitive cannabis policy.

It is a cultural earthquake, and it is one the science had been predicting for a long time.

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What did the WNBA actually change?

Under the old CBA, cannabis was listed under "Drugs of Abuse," the same category as cocaine and heroin. First offenses triggered mandatory treatment referrals. Repeated violations meant fines and suspensions. WNBA policy was significantly harsher on cannabis than the NBA's, even as the broader cultural and legal landscape shifted dramatically around it.

The new agreement removes cannabis from that prohibited list entirely. Players will no longer be tested for cannabis as a standard matter.

There are still conditions: testing can occur if a player enters the league's Drugs of Abuse Program, if she is found to be under the influence during team or league activities, or if there is evidence of dependency. But the default assumption has flipped. Cannabis is no longer treated as a threat to the game.

The new policy also opens the door for players to invest in and endorse hemp-derived CBD companies, a recognition that cannabinoids have become a legitimate, mainstream category in athlete wellness.

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Why does this moment matter?

Brittney Griner was detained in Russia in 2022 for carrying cannabis oil. She spent nearly a year in a Russian penal colony. When she returned, she became one of the most visible symbols of how absurdly out of proportion cannabis penalties had become, even as the U.S. was rapidly legalizing the very same substance state by state.

Sha'Carri Richardson was barred from the 2021 Olympics after testing positive for THC, a substance that provides no performance advantage in sprinting, just days after the death of her mother. The world watched. And the world decided that was wrong.

The WNBA's decision is a direct line drawn from those moments to now. It says: we were wrong, and athletes deserve better.

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How does the league-by-league shift look?

The WNBA is not alone. What is happening is a systematic policy reset across organized sport:

NBA (2023): Removed cannabis from the banned substances list. Players can invest in and promote cannabis companies.

NCAA Division I (2024): Voted to remove cannabis from its banned substances list, aligning with WADA's updated thresholds.

NFL (2024): Significantly reduced fines for positive cannabis tests, raised the allowable THC threshold, and partnered on clinical trials using CBD for pain management and concussion recovery.

UFC (2023): Formally removed cannabis from its modified banned substances list.

Nevada Boxing and MMA (2024): Regulators adopted rules protecting fighters from penalties for cannabis use compliant with state law.

And most significantly at the federal level: on April 23, 2026, the Department of Justice moved state-licensed medical cannabis and FDA-approved cannabinoid products to Schedule III, the first reclassification of cannabis in over five decades. The scheduling that once justified banning cannabis in sport is itself being dismantled.

The momentum is undeniable. And it is not driven by politics. It is driven by science.

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What was everyone missing about the endocannabinoid system?

Here is what the "cannabis is a performance enhancer" camp never fully reckoned with.

Your body already makes cannabinoids. Right now, inside your brain and muscles and bloodstream, your endocannabinoid system (ECS) is running. It was discovered in the early 1990s, and in the three decades since, researchers have established it as one of the body's primary regulators of mood, pain, inflammation, sleep, and, critically, exercise response.

When you run far enough, lift hard enough, row long enough, something shifts. You feel it. Euphoria. A sense of ease. Pain that was there is not anymore. Focus that arrives unbidden. That is not a placebo. That is anandamide binding to CB1 receptors in your brain, a cannabinoid your own body produces, structurally similar to THC, named after the Sanskrit word for bliss.

The runner's high is not about endorphins. That theory was never proven. What research increasingly supports is that the endocannabinoid system is a primary regulator of mood, pain, and recovery during exercise. The ECS helps explain why some athletes find flow states more easily and why movement feels rewarding enough to repeat.

Cannabis, specifically low-dose, precision-formulated cannabinoids like THC, CBD, and CBG, interacts with this system. Not by overwhelming it. By supporting what your body is already trying to do.

This is the science that sports organizations have been slow to catch up to. The WNBA, finally, is catching up.

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What does the research actually say about cannabis and athletic performance?

The question is not "can athletes use cannabis and still be great athletes?"

The obvious answer to that is yes. The question the science is pursuing is more interesting: does intentional, low-dose cannabinoid use support athletic performance, recovery, and long-term health?

Early evidence is encouraging, with important caveats.

A 2015 review published in Sports Medicine noted that cannabis users tend to exercise more than non-users, and that participants reported greater motivation, enjoyment, and perceived focus during exercise when they used cannabis before or during training. These are not fringe findings. They came out of the University of Colorado Boulder, one of the first major research institutions to study cannabis and exercise in a state where it was legal.

Researchers describe the ECS as influencing several exercise-relevant processes:

• Anandamide release during sustained cardiovascular exercise, linked to the runner's high
• CB2 receptor activity in muscle tissue, which is involved in inflammation signaling and recovery
• Vasodilation, relevant to oxygen delivery during endurance activity
• Pain modulation along the spinal cord and peripheral nervous system
• Gut motility and nutrient absorption, which matter for endurance athletes

Low-dose exogenous cannabinoids, hemp-derived THC, CBD, and CBG, can interact with this system in ways that may complement training rather than compromise it. The key word is low-dose. These are not recreational doses designed to get you stoned. These are precision-formulated inputs designed to support what the ECS is already doing.

This is why the science and the policy are converging. Cannabis is not a performance drug in the traditional sense. It functions more like an ECS modulator, and the ECS is central to how athletes actually perform.

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Why is recovery the underrated athlete edge?

One of the most consistent themes in cannabis and athlete wellness research is recovery.

CBD and CBG have shown anti-inflammatory properties in laboratory and early clinical studies. Inflammation is often the limiting factor in how quickly athletes can train again. High-volume weeks, hard tempo efforts, and heavy strength sessions all create inflammation, and managing it well can support more consistent training and adaptation over time.

CBG (cannabigerol), which is present in OFFFIELD's High Performance Energy Gummies at 10mg per serving, is non-psychoactive and has been studied for its potential role in anxiety and inflammation. A 2021 study on CBG reported reduced anxiety and improved memory outcomes, two factors relevant to both pre-training readiness and post-training recovery. If training pain is sharp, worsening, or persistent, consult a qualified professional rather than managing it alone.

The athlete who recovers well trains more consistently. That is not just a cliche.

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What does this mean if you are an athlete right now?

The WNBA's decision is not just symbolic. It is a signal about where science and culture are landing.

Used responsibly and with intention, cannabinoids may be one of the more underused tools in the training toolkit, with precision and timing doing most of the work.

That has been OFFFIELD's position since day one.

We built our High Performance Energy Gummies around a single insight: the endocannabinoid system is the most important performance system most athletes have never optimized. Our formula, 3mg THC, 10mg CBG, 40mg CBD, and 10mg natural caffeine from yerba mate, was designed not to get you stoned, but to help your body do what it was built to do during exercise.

Run High, Not Stoned.

That has always been the principle. And now, thanks to the WNBA, the NBA, the NFL, the NCAA, and the DOJ, the world is catching up to what the science has been pointing toward for years.

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Why was the stigma always the real problem?

Here is the honest truth about why this policy shift took this long.

It was not the science. The science was there. The World Anti-Doping Agency had cannabis on the banned list in part because it believed cannabis could "enhance performance," a position its own researchers could never substantiate. The bans leaned more on stigma than on evidence, the institutional legacy of decades of messaging that cannabis was a gateway drug and a moral failing.

Athletes paid the price. Sha'Carri Richardson paid the price. Brittney Griner paid the price, in ways most of us will never understand.

At OFFFIELD, we do not just make products. We are part of a movement that believes in a simpler idea: an open mind and an active life beat stigma. Cannabinoids are tools, plant-derived, precision-dosed, and scientifically grounded. They deserve to be treated with the same rigor and respect as any other performance input.

The WNBA agreeing is a good day.

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OFFFIELD's take

We have argued for years that the endocannabinoid system, not the banned-substances list, is where the real athlete story lives. In a 2026 survey of OFFFIELD subscribers, 96% said they use it every session, 82% train five or more days a week, and 67% are training for a specific race or event. These are athletes optimizing a real biological system on purpose, not chasing a high. (Survey of OFFFIELD subscribers, 2026. Methodology available on request.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Did the WNBA really remove cannabis from its banned list?
Yes. As part of a new Collective Bargaining Agreement ratified in May 2026 and confirmed publicly in June, the WNBA removed cannabis from its prohibited substances list, so players are no longer tested for it as a standard matter, with limited exceptions.

Does cannabis improve athletic performance?
Current research does not show cannabis acting as a traditional performance enhancer. It interacts with the endocannabinoid system, and studies point more toward enjoyment, motivation, and recovery than to raw output gains. Precision and timing matter, and impairment is counterproductive.

What is the endocannabinoid system's role in exercise?
The ECS helps regulate mood, pain, inflammation, sleep, and exercise response. Sustained activity raises anandamide, which is linked to the runner's high. Cannabinoids are an additional input into that same regulatory system.

Will OFFFIELD Energy Gummies get me high?
No. They are precision-dosed with 3mg THC alongside 10mg CBG, 40mg CBD, and natural caffeine, designed for a subtle, functional lift rather than intoxication.

The science was always ahead of the policy

The WNBA's decision is not the end of a debate. It is the moment the institutions caught up to what athletes and researchers had already seen. Cannabis was never the threat the old rules implied, and the endocannabinoid system was the part of the story everyone kept missing.

Movement Made Happy.

Explore the science behind OFFFIELD's formula, or read about what the runner's high actually is and why endorphins were never the whole story.

And if you are ready to experience what a precision-dosed ECS formula feels like on your next run, lift, or ride: Shop OFFFIELD High Performance Energy Gummies.

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Related Reading

This post is part of our Training and Performance cluster. Start with the pillar guide, then explore the related posts:

• Pillar: Cannabis, Exercise Enjoyment, and How THC Changes Perceived Effort
• Why Athletes Are Choosing CBD Over Opioids for Pain: The BIG3 Story
• Why Run Clubs Are Exploding: Your Endocannabinoid System Is the Reason

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Sources / References

1. Fuss J, Steinle J, Bindila L, et al. A runner's high depends on cannabinoid receptors in mice. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 2015. PubMed
2. Gillman AS, Hutchison KE, Bryan AD. Cannabis and Exercise Science: A Commentary on Existing Studies and Suggestions for Future Directions. Sports Medicine. 2015. PubMed
3. Siebers M, Biedermann SV, Fuss J. Do Endocannabinoids Cause the Runner's High? Evidence and Open Questions. The Neuroscientist. 2023. PubMed
4. WNBA and WNBPA Execute Long-Form Collective Bargaining Agreement. WNBA. 2026. WNBA
5. Justice Department Places FDA-Approved Marijuana Products and Products Containing Marijuana in Schedule III. U.S. Department of Justice. 2026. DOJ
6. WNBA Removes Marijuana From Banned Substances List and Sets Rules for Player Endorsements of Hemp/CBD Products. Marijuana Moment. 2026. Marijuana Moment

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