Cannabis allowed for college athletes? One NCAA committee recommending it

INDIANAPOLIS (KSNT) – The national shift in the view of cannabis products could see its way into college athletics.

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS) recommended new guidelines on Friday.

The group says that the college governing board should adopt legislation removing cannabinoids from the NCAA’s banned drug list. The recommendation was for NCAA Divisions I, II and III.

A December 2022 summit had a large influence on the decision, where the overall opinion was formed that cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug.

CSMAS added a short list of reasons for the recommendation:

Ineffectiveness of current drug testing

The NCAA should only address performance-enhancing drugs

The NCAA should focus on school education and support, rather than penalizing athletes

Committee Chair and Lead Sports Psychologist at Ohio State James Houle said this will bring the governing body more into the modern day.

“We are recommending a big shift in the paradigm when it comes to cannabinoids. We want to modernize the strategy with the most up-to-date research to give schools the best opportunity to support the health of student-athletes,” Houle said.