Motorcycles & Marijuana
Fire up a joint or fire up your bike, either way fire it up! Motorcycles and Marijuana go hand-in-hand from the dawn of motorcycles.
When you take a look back at old movies or old magazines, motorcycle riders where always tied to smoking cannabis and the sale of cannabis. From Easy Rider to the U.S Government, it’s all been tied together because of one simple-minded assumption. There are real reasons why riders smoke, but the reason attributed to riders and smokers alike is that they must be outlaws, that’s why they ride or smoke. A stereotype, a stigma, a completely inaccurate assumption. I’m not saying that if you smoke cannabis and or ride a motorcycle you are not an outlaw but that is like saying if you are tall you must play basketball really well. It’s not all true. Trust me I’m 6ft and not good at basketball. Those are just silly stereotypes.
Smoking cannabis and riding motorcycles may go hand and hand for many reasons. Most riders I’ve met love to smoke cannabis and the majority are not outlaws. Not all of them smoke, but most do, including myself. I’m sure I’d be safe to say most who smoke and who ride would agree with me and also say it’s another type of freedom and therapy. When you are smoking, your mind is free and clear of unneeded clutter. Well, when you ride and get your face in the wind, it does the same thing. They are both therapeutic. I like to call riding ‘Throttle Therapy’ and smoking Canna Therapy.’ It all is actually very good for your mind, body, and soul.
In the last few years, researchers and psychologists have looked beyond motorcycle riding as purely an adrenaline kick or outlaw activity. They’ve discovered that motorcycle riders actually find riding to be a very therapeutic outlet that allows them to de-stress and clear their mind. Riding motorcycles is good therapy, just as smoking cannabis is good therapy. This study and knowledge is especially important for veterans of our armed services and police forces who are expected to live a ‘normal’ civilian life while still dealing with some of the tragic events that they witnessed overseas and or while on duty. Many veterans and retired officers are diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) – a disorder that can be tough to overcome. This study has shown that, not only veterans, but also others with PTSD benefit tremendously from motorcycle riding just as cannabis studies have shown a huge success rate in managing and controlling PTSD with cannabis. See what I’m saying here. We don’t always need pharmaceuticals to feel better. M&Ms make great therapy. Yup that’s right Marijuana & Motorcycles. Made you think “what’s candy got to do with it?” Right….
So, while on the knowledge dropping positive side of things, let’s rev up the mind and see where it’s going in today’s moto athletes. 10 years ago, a racer or freestyle rider could lose his job and sponsors for smoking and/or using cannabis, now it may actually he helping keep them in the job and allowing for more sponsors. Back in 1999, Jeff Emig – a multi champion motocross racer – was fired by Kawasaki for a cannabis possession arrest. The more studies done on THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) and CBD (Cannabidiol) the more people are realizing it is great for muscle and bone recovery. Events like X-Games and Redbull scramble and more have started allowing their athletes to compete with cannabis in there system. Not to mention, when I watched the summer X-Games, I was happy to see how many cannabis companies are sponsoring these athletes. That’s a huge win for these athletes. Leading the way in the cross over between cannabis and moto athletes is a company called WeedMaps. WeedMaps is a California based company founded in 2008. Weedmaps sponsors over 20 moto athletes. They sponsor everything from flat track racers to freestyle motocross riders and everything in between. So look at that, marijuana and motorcycles are still going hand and hand and couldn’t be further from the outlaw Lifestyle. It has become more like the mainstream lifestyle, the healthy lifestyle, the smart lifestyle , ect. But definitely not outlaw, not these days.
You can’t classify people by their hobbies and habits. That has been going on too long and it’s time we change it by educating others and ourselves.
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