Elias Theodorou has become the first professional mixed martial artist to receive a therapeutic use exemption (TUE) for medical cannabis, according to a statement released by Paradigm Sports Management on Tuesday.
Theodorou was granted a TUE by the British Columbia Athletic Commission. According to the release, he is allowed “to continue his doctor-prescribed use of medicinal cannabis and protects him from penalty if he tests above the previous threshold for in-competition use. He will follow the guidelines provided by the athletic commission regarding fight-week medical use.”
Theodorou previously applied for a medical exemption for cannabis during his UFC tenure, but he was denied by the promotion’s anti-doping partner, USADA. However, the release states “his application and subsequent advocacy garnered positive interest on the matter.”
“I am grateful both as a patient and an athlete for the approval of my medical cannabis TUE by the BC Athletic Commission, recognizing my fundamental Canadian right to medicate as prescribed by my medical doctor,” Theodorou said in a release. “I remain committed to fighting the negative stigma of medical cannabis, not only for myself but for all athletes.”
Theodorou last competed at Prospect Fighting Championships 12 on Dec. 6, when he earned a third-round technical knockout victory against fellow UFC veteran Hernani Perpetuo in Windsor, Ontario Canada.
“The Spartan” was released from the UFC last year despite compiling an 8-3 record within the Las Vegas-based organization. He owns a 17-3 career record that includes triumphs against the likes of Eryk Anders, Daniel Kelly, Cezar Ferreira and Sam Alvey.