An Associated Press report last week indicated more Power 5 institutions are reflecting societal changes of marijuana acceptance by reducing penalties for athletes who test positive for the recreational drug. Some may find the move detrimental to student-athlete discipline and accountability, but changes like this should be welcome because institutions are not putting themselves above the society in which they operate.
Marijuana use among U.S. adults has doubled over a decade, according to government surveys, and recreational use is now legal in four states. The trend shows absolutely no signs of reversing so the NCAA and Power 5 conferences should get on board.
If adults in Oregon and Washington are legally allowed to consume marijuana, why shouldn’t student-athletes in those states older than 21 have the same freedom? Do athletes over the legal drinking age get suspended if they drink a little beer? As long as they are responsible while drinking, where is the harm?
A positive step: The Associated Press report mentions at least one-third of the Power 5 conference schools are not punishing athletes as harshly as they were 10 years ago for testing positive for marijuana and other recreational drugs. The NCAA last year cut in half the penalty for athletes who fail screenings for substances like marijuana at its championship events. Its chief medical officer, Dr. Brian Hainline, is pushing for the NCAA to stop testing for recreational drugs altogether. If he advocates that, what are we waiting for?
Hainline said the NCAA should concentrate on disciplining student-athletes who use illegal performance-enhancing drugs and leave it to the institutions to deal with recreational drugs. He prefers the schools offer treatment rather than punishment where applicable.
“The most important thing that I can’t emphasize enough is that as a society, we have to make a clear distinction between recreational drug use and cheating,” Hainline told the Associated Press. “I really believe that they require two different approaches. One is more nuanced, and one is hard core.”
Student-athletes must be trusted and given liberties in a structured setting that reflects the society in which they live. Every business has its authoritative power to discipline its employees. Colleges and athletic programs should have their own power to lay down their law regarding drug use, attendance, harassment, etc.
The NCAA and Power 5 autonomy should steer clear of regulating marijuana use and allow the institutions, administrators and coaches handle that situation. Those institutions should not discipline their adult student-athletes older than 21 for marijuana use unless it leads to other actions detrimental to the framework of the team.
Recreational use of pot is allowed for adults in Oregon and Washington but is against the rules at Pac-12 schools in those states for players of legal age. That is contradictory. At least the rules have become more relaxed over the last 10 years. An athlete doesn’t lose playing time until a third failed test at Oregon. A third failed test once meant dismissal at Oregon State, but athletes are now given one more chance.
At one time, an athlete at Washington was given a one-year suspension for a failed drug test. Now, it is only 30 days.
NCAA chief medical officer, Dr. Brian Hainline
The kinder, gentler NCAA that we have seen in recent years with the allowance of cost-of-attendance stipends, and more free food and beverages for student-athletes, etc., is evolving in an encouraging way. The NCAA is not quite there yet in regards to rules involving recreational drug use.
No suspensions should be in place for alcohol or marijuana use involving adults older than 21. As Hainline suggests, counseling should be offered instead. If a coach or administrator suspects a legal-age student-athlete is endangering himself or herself with alcohol consumption or marijuana use, why not treat that person with a school’s resources instead of coming down hard on them?
Hainline brings up another good point of NCAA’s moral authority when it comes to all forms of discipline: Where does it stop?
“If there are any kids under the age of 18 smoking cigarettes, we should test for that,” Hainline told the AP. “We certainly should be testing for alcohol for everyone under the age of 21. … I’m all for moral authority as long as there is a philosophical consistency to it.”
Undocumented in the AP story was the fact that marijuana use also has its medical advantages for student-athletes, especially those who play the physically brutal sport of football. The Washington Post published an editorial two years ago titled: “The NFL should let its players smoke pot”.
The report mentions that marijuana is a legitimate pain reliever, especially for the migraines that can be a byproduct of head trauma, and is far less dangerous and potentially addictive than other drugs. Marijuana also reportedly has the potential to diminish the long-term effects of brain injuries.
It is commendable that many Power 5 institutions have relaxed their disciplinary actions regarding student-athlete marijuana use. They must go one step further and remove suspensions where applicable and create instead an educational and constructive environment with the use of the drug.
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