The NCAA began its drug testing program in 1986.
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Image of Mike Ehrmann/Getty
The NCAA began its drug testing program in 1986.
Image of Mike Ehrmann/Getty
Over the past decade, health and entertainment Cannabis has become more widely accepted, both culturally and legally. But in sports, the pot can still get a bad reputation.
Recreational marijuana is a source of frustration and disqualification for athletes – like Sha’Carri Richardson, an American sprinter who was poised to become ineligible to compete at the World Championships. Tokyo Olympics after testing positive for marijuana.
But that could soon change for college athletes.
An NCAA panel is calling on the association to remove marijuana from its banned drug list and testing processes. The group, the NCAA Committee on the Protections of Competition and Medical Aspects of Sports, said that testing should be limited to performance-enhancing drugs and found that cannabis did not elevate efficiency.
The NCAA said each of the NCAA’s three divisional regulators would still have to introduce and apply a rule change to remove marijuana from the association’s list of banned drugs. declare released on Friday. The committee has asked the NCAA to stop testing cannabis at championship events while the changes are reviewed.
The NCAA is expected to make a final decision on the matter in the fall.
Panel argued that the association should approach cannabis similarly to alcohol, to steer clear of sanctions and focus on educating student-athletes about the health risks of marijuana use. .
The NCAA has been slowly rethinking its cannabis testing methodology. Last year, the association lift up THC threshold, the intoxicant in marijuana, is required to trigger a positive drug test.
It’s not just the NCAA that is changing its stance on marijuana. The MLB announced it had removed marijuana from the “drug of abuse” list in 2019. Meanwhile, in 2021, NFL paused THC testing for players during the season.
The NCAA oversees college sports in approximately 1,100 schools in the United States and Canada. More than 500,000 student athletes compete in three categories of the NCAA. The association started a drug testing program in 1986 to ensure that competitions are fair and equal.
