Elias Theodorou, the late Canadian mixed martial arts (MMA) figher who passed away on September 11, was the first athlete in the world to have been prescribed medical marjuana. The MMA fighter, who was also known as The Spartan, was granted an exemption for using medical marijuana for therapeutic purposes. The greenlight was given by the British Columbia Athletic Commission (BCAC). He was allowed to use cannabis sans the risk of penalty or disqualification from competing in MMA events.
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Theodorou began his attempts to be allowed to use cannabis in 2016, and succeeded in his pursuit only in 2020. It was not possible to get permission while he was signed with the American MMA promotion, Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
Why did Elias Theodorou need medical marijuana?
Theodorou was suffering from bilateral neuropathy and needed medical marijuana in order to ease his pains. He submitted documents from his legal and medical teams to the BCAC and was granted permission after review of the same.
According to Forbes, the athlete said that he needed marijuana since it is better in pain management than a lot of “first-line alternatives.”
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Theodorou had been an advocate of medical marijuana since he began using the same, and often posted pictures of the same on his social media accounts:
Other athletes who have used medical marijuana
Eugene Monroe, the Baltimore Ravens‘ publicly spoke out against the NFL’s policies of not allowing players to use marijuana for medical conditions.
Jake Plummer, the former NFL quarterback, promoted the use of the drug in a public service announcement, where he said that using medical marijuana is important because “Your mental and physical wellbeing is much more important than any claim to being a great quarterback, or a great teammate, or taking the team on a drive.”
Ross Rebagliati, the 1998 Winter Olympics gold medalist, was disqualified from the tournament when it was found that he had been using marijuana. Later, Rebagliati was given back his medal since marijuana was not included in the Olympics’ list of banned substances.
