Elias Theodorou: The First Professional Athlete To Compete In U.S. With Medical Cannabis Exemption

This article by Ebby Stone was originally published on Cannabis & Tech Today, and appears here with permission.

Elias Theodorou, MMA fighter and medical cannabis advocate, will be competing with an exemption for the use of medical cannabis.

Image provided by Jess Moran.

This will be the first ever American bout with an in-competition Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) in place for medical cannabis. 

Many athletes have been penalized for the use of medical cannabis.

Earlier this year, U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson was suspended for one month after testing positive for THC.

Elias Theodorou, MMA fighter and medical cannabis advocate. Image provided by Jess Moran.

Had she been allowed an in-competition TUE, she would have been able to compete in her signature event at the Tokyo Olympics.

Theodorou’s fight is an historic moment for U.S. athletes.

It sets an important precedent for athletes using medical cannabis.

The event takes place December 18, 2021 in Greeley, Colorado.

The competition will also broadcast as a 21+ pay-per-view. 

“Validating my U.S. Colorado TUE for cannabis with a fight and finish will officially stamp my place in American sporting history as the first sanctioned cannabis athlete,” says Elias Theodorou.

“This is a precedent not only for myself, but for other athletes in Colorado and other states, which in turn can create a wave of opportunities for other athletes to apply for the same right to medicate with cannabis in competition.”

The match will be immortalized by an exclusive NFT for sale on the New World platform.

“I will commemorate my next fight with an NFT that represents the ‘knockout punch’ to the prohibition in athletics, validating my therapeutic use exemption means,” said Theodorou.

Headlining the fight is the Middleweight bout between Theodorou and Bellator.

The ticket also includes a Pro Welterweight Title fight between Petrosyan and Dunkle, a Pro Full Rules Muay Thai Super Fight between Martinex and Lacroix, and a Bantamweight Title Contender fight between Valadez and Haas.