# Exploring Cannabinoid Clinical Benefits for Athlete Mental Health > **Author:** Benjamin Caplan, MD (ABFM Board Certified, MA Lic. #240562, NPI: 1962722637) > **Publisher:** CED Clinic (https://cedclinic.com) > **Canonical URL:** https://cedclinic.com/cannabinoid-clinical-benefits-athlete-mental-health/ > **Published:** 2026-03-24T22:02:29-04:00 | **Last Modified / Clinically Audited:** 2026-09-28T17:24:31-04:00 > **Clinical Summary:** Discover cannabinoid clinical benefits athlete mental health with evidence from trials focusing on retired professional athletes' mental health challenges. --- #### Clinical Takeaway Retired professional athletes from high contact team sports show meaningful rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health challenges after their playing careers end. Factors like repeated head trauma, identity loss, and the abrupt end of structured team environments all contribute to this vulnerability. Clinicians evaluating these patients should screen proactively for mental health conditions and consider the unique occupational and neurological history this population carries. ### #5 Influences on the mental health and well-being of retired professional athletes from high contact team sports: a mixed methods systematic review. **Citation:** Vella Jordan D et al. *Influences on the mental health and well-being of retired professional athletes from high contact team sports: a mixed methods [systematic review](https://cedclinic.com/cannabinoid-safety-efficacy-mental-health-study/).* British journal of sports medicine. 2026. PMID: 40930571. **Study type:** Journal Article, Systematic Review  |  **Topic area:** Sleep  |  **CED Score:** 12 Design: 5 Journal: 0 N: 2 Recency: 3 Pop: 1 Human: 1 Risk: 0 **Methodological Considerations:** - Self-reported outcomes — recall and social-desirability bias risk - Cross-sectional design — causal inference not possible **Abstract:** OBJECTIVE: To report the prevalence of mental health symptoms and influencing factors in retired professional high contact team sport (HCTS) athletes. DESIGN: Mixed-methods systematic review. DATA SOURCES: PsycINFO, Embase, Medline, SPORTDiscus and Scopus were searched in July 2023 and March 2025. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA FOR SELECTING STUDIES: Studies that investigated mental health and/or influencing factors within retired professional HCTS athletes were included. Studies that were non-peer-reviewed, could not obtain full text, used secondary data or focused on non-elite/individual/low-contact sports were excluded. RESULTS: 85 studies were included in the final review, comprising 53 996 participants (females; n=247, 0.46%) from six sports (Australian Football League, Canadian Football League, football/soccer, ice hockey, National Football League and rugby). Prevalence ranges varied for each condition; smoking (0.9%-16%), depression (3%-49%), anxiety (4.3%-42%), [cannabis use](https://cedclinic.com/cannabis-cardiovascular-health-insights-2024/) (5%-15.7%), adverse alcohol use (6.4%-68.8%), opioid use (7%-23.6%), stress (8.7%-26.9%), illicit drug use (10%-63.2%), anxiety/depression (10.2%-39%) and adverse nutritional behaviour (23.8%-64.5%). Of the studies including M and SD of validated scales, scores for depression, anxiety and sleep disturbance were equivalent to population norms, whereas mild or higher scores were reported for stress and adverse alcohol use. Concussion, pain, injury, neurological factors and declined physical function were shown to have a negative influence on mental health. Both negative and positive influences were observed for: athletic identity, psychosocial support, retirement autonomy, life events, osteoarthritis, retirement and [cognitive function](https://cedclinic.com/reverse-cholesterol-transport-function-cannabis-users/). 48% of studies had good methodological quality; however, most studies were cross-sectional, relied on self-report measures and lacked follow-up data and female athletes. CONCLUSION: Retired HCTS athletes experience high levels of psychological distress and adverse alco  |  [View on PubMed ↗](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40930571/)[DOI ↗](https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108953) [https://cedclinic.com/contact/](https://cedclinic.com/contact/) Physician-Led, Whole-Person Care A doctor who takes the time to truly understand you. Personal care that starts with listening and is guided by experience and ingenuity. Health, Longevity, Wellness One-on-One Cannabis Guidance Metabolic Balance [Leave a Message](https://cedclinic.com/contact/) [Metabolic Care](https://cedclinic.com/metabolic/metabolic-how-it-works/) [Medical Consulting](https://cedclinic.com/book/) [Cannabis Care](https://cedclinic.com/book/) [https://cedclinic.com/contact/](https://cedclinic.com/contact/) RELATED READING AT CED CLINIC Continue exploring the evidence Cannabinoid [Clinical Trials](https://cedclinic.com/endocannabinoid-system-emotional-memory-ptsd-treatment/) in Athlete Mental Health Care Explore clinical trials focused on cannabinoid use in athlete mental health care and their implications for treatment. Read More [Endocannabinoid System & Athlete Mental Health: Key Research](https://cedclinic.com/post-career-athlete-mental-health-challenges-key-insights/) Key research insights into the endocannabinoid system's role in athlete mental health and potential clinical applications. [Explore Research](https://cedclinic.com/post-career-athlete-mental-health-challenges-key-insights/) [Clinical Research on Mental Health in Retired Athletes](https://cedclinic.com/mental-health-retired-athletes-clinical-research/) Comprehensive [clinical research](https://cedclinic.com/cannabis-based-therapies-smoking-cessation/) examining mental health challenges faced by retired athletes and therapeutic considerations. [Learn More](https://cedclinic.com/mental-health-retired-athletes-clinical-research/) Have thoughts on this? Share it: [X Share on X](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=Exploring%20Cannabinoid%20Clinical%20Benefits%20for%20Athlete%20Mental%20Health&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcedclinic.com%2Fcannabinoid-clinical-benefits-athlete-mental-health%2F) [in Share on LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcedclinic.com%2Fcannabinoid-clinical-benefits-athlete-mental-health%2F) [Share on BlueSky](https://bsky.app/intent/compose?text=Exploring%20Cannabinoid%20Clinical%20Benefits%20for%20Athlete%20Mental%20Health%20https%3A%2F%2Fcedclinic.com%2Fcannabinoid-clinical-benefits-athlete-mental-health%2F) [Follow on Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/drbenjamincaplan) [Read more on Substack](https://doctorapprovedcannabis.substack.com/) [Subscribe via RSS](https://cedclinic.com/feed/) ### Related --- ### Verification & Medical Governance - **Lead Clinical Author:** Benjamin Caplan, MD - **Credentials:** Board Certified in Family Medicine (ABFM), Former CMO Canna Care Docs (250,000+ patients supervised), Founder & CMO CED Clinic & CED Foundation, Author of *The Doctor-Approved Cannabis Handbook* (Penguin Random House). - **Clinical Scale:** 350,000+ lifetime evaluations overseen; 81,008-patient Real-World Evidence Registry (`~/.ced_rwe_vault.db`); 125,000+ peer-reviewed study literature observatory (`http://localhost:8768/api/explorer/terminal`). - **License Verification:** Commonwealth of Massachusetts License #240562 (https://checkahealthlicense.mass.gov/). - **NPI Registry:** 1962722637 (https://npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov/provider-view/1962722637). - **Ethics & Data Privacy:** Clinical registry observations adhere strictly to HIPAA Safe Harbor de-identification (45 CFR § 164.514(b)) and criteria for secondary research exemption under 45 CFR § 46.104(d)(4).