Amateur and semi-pro soccer can be a paradox: the training load looks increasingly professional, while recovery resources often don’t. Between work, school, late-night matches, travel, and the physical demands of repeated sprinting, cutting, and contact, many players build do-it-yourself wellness routines. In more places where cannabis is legal or decriminalized, marijuana—especially low-dose THC and non-intoxicating CBD—has quietly entered the recovery conversation.
What players say they want from cannabis is rarely about “getting high” in the party sense. Surveys of adult athletes show cannabis is commonly used with goals that sound like a recovery checklist: pain relief, better sleep, and stress reduction. The Athlete PEACE Survey, a community-based cohort of athletes, documented patterns of use and self-reported effects, underscoring that many athletes connect cannabis with managing discomfort and recovery routines.
That matters in soccer, where the aches are both predictable and persistent: ankle and knee flare-ups, hip tightness, bruising, and the deep muscle soreness that follows high-intensity running. CBD products—oils, gummies, creams—are often framed as “functional” because they don’t intoxicate. But the evidence is still emerging and mixed. A 2024 systematic review on CBD and post-exercise recovery in healthy, active people found the research base is limited and heterogeneous—suggestive in places, not definitive. A 2023 survey study focused on exercise recovery also found a gap between belief and outcomes: many respondents expected recovery and sleep benefits, but fewer reported actually experiencing them.
THC use tends to be more tactical. Some players “microdose” after games—small amounts intended to take the edge off soreness or help switch off mentally—while avoiding heavy intoxication that can disrupt next-day responsibilities. The target is often sleep, because sleep is the cheapest (and most ignored) performance tool. Still, cannabis isn’t a guaranteed sleep solution, and impairment is a real concern if someone uses too close to training, driving, or work.
The semi-pro layer adds another complication: drug-testing rules. Under the World Anti-Doping Agency’s Prohibited List, THC is prohibited in competition above a urinary threshold of 150 ng/mL. Even outside formal testing, many teams have conduct policies, and local laws vary widely.
The smartest recovery-minded players treat cannabis like any other supplement: dose matters, timing matters, and product quality matters. They avoid use before training or matches, prioritize proven recovery basics such as sleep schedules, hydration, nutrition, and mobility work, and—if they do use cannabinoids—choose products that are third-party tested to reduce the risk of THC contamination in “CBD” items. Fear of inadvertent anti-doping violations is a common reason athletes report stopping CBD use.
In amateur soccer, cannabis is becoming part of the wellness toolkit for some—not a magic fix, and not without tradeoffs. The trend is less about hype and more about players trying to recover like pros, with the tools they can actually access.
Learn More: Behind the Curve: Why Soccer Trails Other Pro Sports on Cannabis