UFC Green-lights Marijuana, Athletes Not to Fight under the Influence

Using marijuana days before a match will no longer be a doping offense.

On 14th January, the UFC said it would not consider positive tests for THC—the psychoactive compound in cannabis—as an infringement of its doping policies, except if an athlete utilizes it to boost performance.

Other cannabinoids that are distinct components of cannabis are not, at this point, banned.

However, UFC fighters will be required to abide by all marijuana laws set in place by their respective state athletics bodies or worldwide administering commissions in charge of their fights.

Fighters won’t be penalized if THC appears in their pre-or post-fight drug tests. Even so, the fighters still face the risk of getting banned if they are found to be under the influence during a match.

The UFC’s senior VP of performance and health, Jeff Novitzky, stated that while the UFC aims to keep competitors from fighting while high on marijuana, they have discovered that blood and additionally pee levels of THC have practically “no scientific correlation to impairment.”

“THC is fat dissolvable,” says Jeff. “That means that once ingested, it goes into the fatty tissues and organs in the body. It can be delivered into the blood or urine once again even long after the ingestion.”

“Most importantly, with respect to marijuana, we care about what a competitor used the day of the fight as opposed to days or weeks before the battle, which has frequently been the case in our positive THC cases.”

The USADA, United States Anti-Doping Agency’s, move to lift the cannabis ban doesn’t mean fighters can smoke it just before stepping into the ring.

Further, even though fighters are no longer in danger of being suspended by USADA, athletic commissions can presently ban them if they test positive in their jurisdictions.

The VP continued: “I would alert everyone to control their excitement about this since we have the commission factor here, but we are effectively dealing with that.”

“We are lobbying and educating them. I would like to think that very soon, we can get consistency across all the policies that relate to marijuana because I believe it would be a benefit to athletes.”

Many UFC athletes have in the past received suspensions and fines after testing positive for marijuana. Last Dec, it was declared that Niko Price’s draw with the Donald Cerrone would be revoked to a “no contest” following the revelation of medical marijuana metabolites in his drug tests.”

Price was slapped with a six-month suspension from the Nevada State Athletic Commission and an additional $8,500 fine.

Fighters have been actively speaking out against these policies, terming them unreasonably punitive.

Especially now that you can get your medical marijuana card online in a few clicks, the sporting world has increasingly adopted cannabis to treat injuries and pain relief. Many UFC fighters believe that Thursday’s announcement was long overdue.

A 2020 study found that practically 50% of MMA fighters use medical marijuana for either healing or recreation. The survey conducted by The Athletic involved 170 expert MMA athletes.

Results showed that 45.9 percent of the fighters confessed to utilizing cannabis for medicinal or relaxation purposes during their profession.

Another 4.7 percent routinely used cannabis in the past but have stopped. The study revealed that 76.5 percent of the fighters confessed to using CBD products.

MMA legends and crowd-pleasers Nick and Nate Diaz are regarded as the most prominent lobbyists for marijuana in combat sports and will undoubtedly be thrilled by this week’s news.

Nate Diaz and his brother, Nick, have severally made public their adoration for marijuana regardless of the many controversies that surrounded it.

The Nevada State Athletic Commission NSAC initially suspended Nick for five years for failing a third test, but they later reduced it to a year and a half. On his part, Nate made news when he lit a joint at the UFC 241 open exercises in August 2019.

Older legends, including Mike Tyson, have also admitted to using cannabis before significant boxing matches. Tyson told the press that he used marijuana right before stepping into the ring with Roy Jones Jr in California.

The 54-year-old confesses to smoking cannabis all the time, but he has also made a nickel out of it. The star allegedly earns $679,997.50 per-month through his business that offers premium weed strains, extracts, and edibles.

In an interview with the Sun, ‘Iron Mike’ revealed that he is building a 418-acre of a cannabis-themed holiday resort that he envisions to host bigger concerts than Coachella.

The big fighter has big plans to set up glamorous camping tents on the site and a Tyson University on the location to nurture world-class marijuana farmers.

Tyson is said to have found solace in cannabis following many years of struggle with a cocaine addiction and other substances.

USADA’s reversal of policy on cannabis suspensions is certainly tasteful news for talented and entrepreneurial athletes.

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About the Author

Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.