Is cannabis really that bad? – The Evergreen Daily
Cannabis activists in sport
Cannabis is still a controversial topic when it comes to its use in sports, however, many athletes advocate its use.
The topic of cannabis use has grown in popularity in recent years, with athletes falling into usage scandals and those advocating its use.
One of the athletes who has fallen into controversy is Sha’Carri Richardson. Richardson was suspended for a month after testing positive for cannabis after the women’s 100 meters at the U.S. Track and Field Trials in Eugene, Oregon. Richardson used cannabis to cope with her mother’s death, which she learned about in an interview.
“I had an interview scheduled with my agent, I knew I had an interview, I knew I was going to the interview like I just thought it was going to be a regular interview, then during the interview to hear this information from a complete stranger was definitely nerve-wracking, definitely nerve-wracking,” Richardson said in an interview with the TODAY show. “It sent me into a state of mind and a state of emotional panic if anything.”
Due to the suspension, Richardson was not allowed to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Many athletes have spoken of using cannabis products throughout their careers. Shawn Kemp, a former NBA player, used cannabis for most of his career before the league began testing cannabis use in 1999. However, with cannabis legalized in most states, leagues sports are considering changing policies regarding its use, according to a New York Times article.
Retired NFL star Marshawn Lynch is another person who has advocated for cannabis use after his career ended. Lynch owns a cannabis brand called Dodi Blunts.
Lynch wanted to start the business a long time ago but reportedly had some complications with his employer, Lynch said in an interview with Forbes magazine.
Lynch is another case of cannabis censorship in the sports industry. Players are silenced for doing what they think is right or simply for doing what they want but cannot.
UFC fighter Conor McGregor has been openly smoking on his social media accounts and even owns a hemp farm in Oregon. While on hiatus to recover from an injury, once he posted himself smoking a blunt on social media, fans had mixed reviews in his comments section. Scrutiny did not come from WWE but from his own fans. Many criticized him, commenting that he was in a bad mental state and wanted him to reach out to his family. Others applauded these fans asking why they thought McGregor smoking cannabis indicated he was in a bad mental state and noted that he seemed to be fine.
Calvin Johnson, NFL Hall of Famer is working with a Michigan-based cannabis company that’s partnered with Harvard University. The research aims to find how cannabis can be used to help ETCs and people with chronic pain.
“Being a defender in that space is crucial and it was tough to do that while we were playing ball,” Johnson said in an interview with Forbes magazine. “We were defenders then, but there are rules and regulations you have to follow.”
Johnson used cannabis towards the end of his NFL career, however, he had to keep it low for the sake of his football career. When it came to cannabis, Johnson wanted to look at the underlying medical aspects to see what he could do for sick people, but was limited by rules set by the NFL regarding cannabis use and discussion. on this subject. Simply, the rules are a censorship imposed on the players.
Specifically, looking at how WSU handles cannabis/drug use, players will be disciplined and their fate on their team will depend on their coach. Overall, the National College Athletics Association prohibits the use of cannabinoids that include cannabis.
At WSU, the athletic department establishes a strong educational message for student-athletes that they will be drug-free throughout their career at WSU, according to the Student-Athlete Handbook.
Specifically, if a student-athlete tests positive for substances, consequences are in place for them. When they receive the first positive result, the student-athlete will be referred to the Palouse Recovery Center for evaluation.
Then they will be immediately placed in mandatory drug/alcohol counseling and retested until released by the sports administration and drug testing counseling meeting. A behavioral contract may be administered based on the committee’s recommendation.
The student-athlete will then call their parent/guardian to inform them of the positive doping test and the team head coach has the discretion to remove an athlete from the team at any time during this process, depending on The manual. This goes for any type of drug prohibited by the NCAA.
