Runner's High: How a Movement of Cannabis-Fueled Athletes Is Changing the Science of Sports

Michael Pollan's How to Change Your Mind meets Christopher McDougall's Born to Run in this immersive, investigative look at the hidden culture of cannabis use among elite athletes (as well as weekend warriors)--and the surprising emerging science behind the elusive, exhilarating runner's high they all seek.

Pot makes exercise fun. The link between performance enhancement and cannabis has been an open secret for many years, so much so that with the wide-sweeping national legalization of cannabis, combining weed and working out has become the hottest new wellness trend.

Why, then, is there still a skewed perception around this leafy substance that it only produces the lazy, red-eyed stoner laid out on a couch somewhere, munching on junk food? In fact, scientists have conducted extensive research that uncovers the power of the runner's high--the true holy grail of aerobic activity that was long believed to be caused by endorphins. In an extraordinary reversal, scientists believe marijuana may actually be the key to getting more Americans off their phones and on to their feet.

In Runner's High, seasoned investigative journalist Josiah Hesse takes readers on a journey through the secret world of stoned athletes, describing astounding, cannabis-inspired physical and mental transformations, just like he experienced. From the economics of the $20 billion CBD market to the inherent inequalities in the enforcement of marijuana prohibition; from the mind-body connection behind the runner's high to the best way to make your own cannabis-infused power bars; Runner's High takes this groundbreaking science out of the lab and onto the trail, court, field, and pitch, fundamentally changing the way we think about exercise, recovery, and cannabis.


Author: Josiah Hesse
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Published: 09/14/2021
Pages: 320
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.11lbs
Size: 9.34h x 6.35w x 1.22d
ISBN: 9780593191170


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 06/28/2021
Kirkus Reviews 08/15/2021
Booklist 09/15/2021 pg. 8

About the Author
Josiah Hesse is an investigative journalist who covers breaking marijuana news, the intersection of marijuana and athletics, politics, economics, and culture for publications including Vice, The Guardian, Politico, and Esquire, and for cannabis-specific outlets such as Ganjapreneur, High Times, Big Buds, The Fix, The Cannabist, The Chronic, and many more. He lives in Denver, Colorado.