SMOKE YET TO CLEAR ON MARIJUANA EFFECTS

Impact on Athletes Is Uncertain

Michael Phelps avoided arrest in connection with his use of a
marijuana pipe at a party in South Carolina last fall. But he has not
dodged questions about why, as the world's most accomplished swimmer,
he would consider taking the drug in the first place.

Reasons aside, he joins a long list of athletes who have been tied to
marijuana, including Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams,
Dallas Mavericks forward Josh Howard and Washington Nationals
outfielder Elijah Dukes, all of whom have acknowledged taking the
drug on the side. It begs the question: Does occasional use of
marijuana affect athletic performance?

Numerous medical studies have shown that marijuana can impact a
person's hand-eye coordination and the ability to concentrate and
maintain attention. And a 2007 study from the Yale School of Medicine
showed that long-term marijuana users can suffer the same
debilitating lung problems as those who smoke cigarettes over a long
period of time.

But it's less clear what that means for a young athlete who smokes
marijuana occasionally during breaks in training. While doctors and
trainers contend the short-term effects can be problematic, they
acknowledge that some marijuana users claim the drug helps them deal
with anxiety, stress and depression.

"It's still a very popular, recreational, 'let your hair down' way to
party for athletes," said Dave Ellis, a nutrition and conditioning
consultant for college athletic programs and professional teams.
"It's probably as popular as ever. I have to laugh because I think
there's a lot of it going on."

But knowing whether these athletes are hurting their abilities is
tough to know, trainers and doctors said, because there has never
been a scientific study on marijuana use and athletic performance.
Finding subjects for such a study is challenging because researchers
can't ethically ask people to take an illegal drug, and it's also
hard to pinpoint the effects of marijuana if someone also drinks or
smokes cigarettes occasionally.

Nevertheless, athletic trainers said they would like to see more
information on how marijuana affects lung performance, if for no
other reason to back up their own belief that it can be harmful.

"I think the thing that needs to be studied are the effects of taking
that hot, 400-degree smoke and putting it in your respiratory
system," said Shawn Vass, a speed and agility trainer who operates
Xtreme Acceleration Sports Performance, a specialized gym in Bethesda
that caters to top athletes. "When it comes to a high-performance
athlete, you want to make sure your breathing element, your filter,
is as clean and as powerful as possible."

Some studies have offered insight into how the drug is perceived
compared to legal substances like tobacco and alcohol. Dr. Harrison
Pope, director of the Biological Psychiatry Laboratory at Harvard's
McLean Hospital, said his study of bodybuilders and weightlifters
showed that marijuana use was widespread even among those who refused
to smoke or drink out of fear of potential effects on their training.

"From my experience, these people scrupulously abstain from alcohol
and scrupulously abstain from tobacco because they know it will
interfere with their weightlifting or overall athletic performance,"
Pope said. "The impression I get was that they fell back on marijuana
because it was an intoxicant that they could use without having as
much of an effect on their performance as the two legal intoxicants,
alcohol or tobacco."

But the fact remains that many athletes have had long, successful
careers while taking marijuana on the side. Mark Stepnoski, a former
offensive lineman with the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Oilers, told
ESPN in 2003 that he was a frequent user of marijuana during his
career. Stepnoski is an advocate for its legalization.

"I have used marijuana, and it's never prevented me from
accomplishing what I wanted to accomplish," he said.

Ellis, however, said he has collected considerable anecdotal evidence
in analyzing body composition of athletes and that those athletes who
have lost muscle mass or increased body fat are often involved in
drug use. Ellis said it can have a noticeable effect on the ability
of athletes to play well during the course of a long season.

"Marijuana users don't thrive like they should versus someone who can
breathe normally," Ellis said. "I don't think it's anything good for
these athletes. We're talking about people trying to recover from one
competition to the next. Anytime you have something that impedes
oxygen transport or screws up blood pressure, then you've got
endurance outcomes where these athletes are going to struggle."

Vass, who has worked with top runners and players from the NFL, NBA
and English Premier League soccer, acknowledged that many athletes
smoke marijuana in order to reduce stress and relax when away from
the court or field. But he said he believed taking marijuana, even
during the offseason, can have an effect on performance at a later time.

"A true athlete is always in training mode," he said. "Like [Redskins
quarterback] Jason Campbell may take a little break between his last
game and the Pro Bowl, but then it's time to go to work. Anything
that happens in between affects the work he has to do. If you're
trying to be a high level athlete, you need to stay clean during the
off time or just retire."