Toronto launch cannabis-based pain relief products

Wolfpack launch cannabis-based pain relief products

Ground-breaking rugby league club Toronto Wolfpack are to enter the controversial world of cannabis-based pain relief products.
The Canadian club, who are favourites to secure a place in Super League in 2020, launched their own isotonic and alcoholic drinks earlier this year and have now formed a subsidiary company, HowlBrands, to launch athlete-focused cannabidiol products.
Toronto say their CBD-infused cream called Rugby Strength, which is made from 100 per cent organically-grown hemp and blended with natural ingredients, has no psychoactive effects.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) removed the compound from its list of banned substances last year but, due to its link with cannabis, it still holds a certain stigma in sport.
However, England rugby union international George Kruis has started his own CBD business while two-time Masters champion Bubba Watson credits its use for keeping him free of injury.
Toronto chairman David Argyle, who personally uses CBD products, says his club aims to be innovative and is determined to win over the doubters.
“Toronto Wolfpack wants to be a global brand and part of that is being very current,” Argyle told Press Association Sport.
“A professional sporting club coming out with its own brand helps to validate CBD products and we’ll do our bit on education.
“The benefits of CBD for pain management and anti-inflammatory have been well known for decades and it’s now becoming more acceptable as people become more aware of them.
“I find them personally very useful and helpful. We’re all a bit older now. I had a great time playing rugby and some of those aches and pains catch up with you when you’re doing a bit of gardening or some exercise.
“In the same way that one does not have to be an athlete or play sports to wear Nike shoes, one does not have to be an athlete or play sports to use Rugby Strength or other HowlBrands products.”
Argyle, an Australian mining tycoon who has bank-rolled Toronto since its formation three years ago, says the new deal, allied to Wolfpack-branded isotonic and alcoholic drinks, will help ensure the club’s long-term sustainability.