More than 150 athletes from all Olympic disciplines ask the World Anti-Doping Agency to authorize medical marijuana
Athletes want medical marijuana. After the expulsion of a judo fighter from the US team at the London 2012 Olympic Games, for testing positive marijuana in a control, many athletes questioned whether marijuana should continue to be included in the list of prohibited substances of the World Agency Anti-doping (WADA).
Since it has not been proven that marijuana improves athletes’ performance and, moreover, its use is legal in several countries, it does not make sense for the WADA to continue to prohibit its use among athletes.
There are very few experts who think that marijuana can improve the performance of athletes in terms of speed, strength or precision.
However, the WADA condemns a two-year ban without being able to compete professionally to those athletes who are found to have used marijuana.
Although the legalization of cannabis in Canada and some states of the United States has meant an open-mindedness for the investigation of the medicinal properties of marijuana, there is still a sector that remains airtight before the possibility of using the plant in the leagues of professional sports
The reality is that marijuana is completely banned at present for the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), an organization that fights against the use of drugs among sports professionals. The WADA believes that marijuana could improve the performance of the athlete who consumes it and, in addition, be detrimental to his/her health.
However, the organization is softening its position in this regard. In 2013, the AMA raised the level of permissible cannabis in an athlete to 150 nanograms per milliliter of blood. If you compare it with the 15 nanograms that the National Basketball Association (NBA) allows, we see that opinion is changing.
The Canadian Center for Ethics in Sports (CCES) is pressing the WADA for the total eradication of marijuana from the list.
In 2018, WADA eliminated cannabidiol (CBD) from the list of banned substances.
Every day the number of professional athletes who defend cannabis as medicine grows and presses to abolish the system of fines for the use of this substance. They emphasize the therapeutic power of marijuana to combat pain and compare it with options as malignant as opiates.
Marijuana is not a substance found in the National Hockey League (NHL), but it is a medicine that is being tested in the Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program of the league.
There are many players who use marijuana frequently. In fact, there are many more who smoke it than those who do not.
Indeed, a group of more than 150 professional athletes are asking the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) to remove marijuana from the list of banned substances. The group is made up of athletes who are still active and former athletes. On the other hand, it must be clarified that they do not form an entity with profit interests.
Although marijuana is legalized in many states of the USA, some sectors of society cannot access it, as is the case of military and elite athletes. The reason for this absurd position is that the major sports leagues follow the rules on drugs that are marked by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). This agency does not allow athletes to consume cannabis, even if they are not in competition season. Athletes who do not comply with the established rules can be punished very severely.
Of course, there are many athletes who feel outraged at the lack of consideration of these standards towards their health. There are many injuries that are treated with very addictive opiates and that could be treated with medical marijuana and / or its derivatives, such as CBD oil, which are neither addictive nor at risk of lethal overdose.
Of course, there are many athletes who feel outraged at the lack of consideration of these standards towards their health. There are many injuries that are treated with very addictive opiates and that could be treated with medical marijuana and / or its derivatives, such as CBD oil, which are neither addictive nor at risk of lethal overdose.
A few days ago, the team of athletes, both active and retired, including boxer Mike Tyson and Riley Cote, wrote a letter to the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), requesting the immediate withdrawal of cannabis from the list of non-hazardous substances allowed in the elite sport sector.
Athletes explain their therapeutic experiences with marijuana and cannabinoids, and how the herb has improved their health and well-being. The group, called “Athletes for CARE” tries to get the WADA to remove marijuana from the list of substances not allowed for the year 2021.
The letter explains that the ethical values of fair play that WADA has always defended must be taken into account. Therefore, the organization should allow athletes to be free to be treated with marijuana, which is a natural medicine whose effectiveness has been scientifically demonstrated.
At least, the WADA has shown an open mind to the idea of allowing athletes one day to consume marijuana without legal or disciplinary consequences.
The WADA gave a press conference explaining that the list of prohibited substances is not a closed and immutable list. The organization keeps in contact with the athletes, the administration, the medical experts in the field and studies all the scientific articles that support the therapeutic properties of marijuana. But he also stood firm by saying that the fact that marijuana was growing in popularity for its medicinal value, did not exclude it from the list of substances not allowed.
But not all cannabis formats are on the list of prohibited substances of the WADA. Last year, the organization allowed the CBD to reduce stress, seizures and chronic pain. But any compound that has THC will remain prohibited, although the scientific evidence supports its analgesic capacity.
In addition to the letter sent to the WADA by the 150 members of “Athletes for CARE”, they also sent a statement to Change.org requesting that both professional and amateur athletes join the request that athletes could access treatments with medical marijuana safely and without having to suffer consequences for it.
