Weed and Skateboarding: How Deep Does the Connection Go?

Skateboarding and cannabis go way back. From the stash-pocket shoes of the '90s to pros worrying about Olympic drug tests, weed has been woven into skate culture for decades, and the pop-culture cliché of the "stoner skater" still hangs around.

With skateboarding making its Olympic debut at the Tokyo 2020 Games and getting more mainstream exposure than ever, we figured it was time to ask: just how deep does the connection between cannabis and skateboarding go?

Do all skaters smoke weed?

Obviously not, but skating is hugely popular with people who like to smoke, to the point that when the sport finally made its Olympic debut at the 2020 Games, drug testing was one of the skaters' biggest worries. Tas Pappas, one of the best vert skaters of his era, even said in an interview that testing would be a problem, since a lot of skaters do their tricks high.

Skate, weed and a landmark shoe:

Back in the '90s, popular skater Chad Muska teamed up with a brand to design a skate shoe. So what was so revolutionary about it? The design had one feature that had thousands of skaters lining up to get a pair: the shoes hid a secret stash pocket in the tongue for your weed.

After that, a whole wave of weed-themed skate products hit the market, from all kinds of apparel and stickers to decks with buds or plants on them, grip tape and a lot more.

Skating and cannabis: finding the right balance

It's no secret that many people turn to cannabis, and certain strains in particular, because patients report relief from fatigue, chronic pain, anxiety and inflammation-related conditions, and some research points the same way. That kind of relief can matter even more for the brave souls who spend their lives pushing the limits of extreme sports like skating.

Skating is all about persistence. There's also a big "zen" side to it that sometimes feels closer to meditation than to exercise. Skaters have always smoked to unwind and take the edge off the pain, and plenty of them say cannabis also sharpens that feeling of "being in the moment."

It can also help clear your head of negative or gloomy thoughts and deepen that zen trance. With the fear pushed aside, that never-give-up mindset, the one that keeps you trying after a trick goes wrong, gets stronger.

How weed affects sports

Substance use has always been part of sports, and even more so in the ones that grew out of the counterculture. Alcohol, cannabis and psychedelics have always been deeply rooted in scenes like skateboarding. The effects of smoking weed and its well-known perks, plus the simple fun of a session with friends, show up across every sport and physical activity. But what about skateboarding specifically?

What brings skaters together

It's worth remembering that, like every sport that was considered "too extreme" at first, skating brought together the misfits, the troublemakers and the radicals. Weed, which stayed illegal for most of skateboarding's history, was painted as dangerous by the mainstream media. Incredibly, that demonization only made skateboarding more appealing.

Thanks to that mix of skate's rebel spirit and weed, crowds flocked to the sport in the '80s and '90s, and it became as much a lifestyle as an activity.

Why skaters say weed and skating mix

A lot of skaters from the '90s and 2000s generations stood up for cannabis and made no secret of using it. Advocates inside the skate community got more and more vocal about the benefits of cannabis.

Skateboarding pioneer Tony Alva put it this way (our translation from a Spanish-language source): "A lot of people consider weed a drug, and I don't agree with that. There's a big segment of the skate population that uses weed as an herb to improve their lives and tune in to their surroundings, physically and mentally. Once we get rid of the stigma that weed is a drug, skaters won't be labeled as drug addicts anymore. . . I just hope people educate themselves and learn more about it. Legalization has been a long time coming."

Now that legal weed is a reality in many states, countries and regions, plenty of skate companies have jumped on it. Specialty gear, streetwear and cannabis products now reach consumers in an endless stream.

On the banned list

Cannabis landed on the IOC (International Olympic Committee) list of banned substances after Ross Rebagliati won snowboarding gold at the 1998 Games and then tested positive for THC. Anti-doping rules treat weed as potentially performance-enhancing, even though it doesn't hit every athlete the same way. Some might skate more loosely, while others would rather sit on their boards and ponder the secrets of the universe.

That said, there have been some concessions:

• The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) raised its THC threshold in drug tests. That makes testing more lenient, since athletes who use THC in the off-season, away from competition, are less likely to get flagged.
• WADA also ruled that CBD products aren't a problem, so CBD, which many athletes use for pain, will stay a big part of the routine for skaters and athletes in general. It looks like, even with limits, some cannabis products will remain acceptable for active Olympic athletes.

It's interesting to watch these changes in sports rules strengthen the bond between skateboarding and cannabis, and if one thing is clear, it's that both weed and skating are here to stay, and their relationship will keep growing as long as there are people who love to smoke and skate.

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