17 June 2023
(KSNT) – NCAA members will discuss removing cannabis from its list of banned substances during the summer.
The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports gave its support for removing cannabis from its banned drug list and testing protocols, according to a release from the NCAA.
This issue was referred to the committee by Divisions II and III. Those divisions asked CSMAS to further consider the Association’s cannabis policy and whether NCAA drug testing should be limited to performance-enhancing substances.
The rationale was largely informed by the December 2022 Summit on Cannabinoids in College Athletics, according to the NCAA. It also includes the consensus opinion that cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug and that a harm-reduction approach to cannabis is best implemented at the school level. Additional rationale included:
Focusing on testing for substances that provide an unfair advantage by enhancing athletic performance.
Shifting toward a harm reduction philosophy for cannabis, similar to the approaches taken with alcohol.
Realigning toward institutional testing and how that testing supports/enhances campus efforts to identify problematic cannabis use.
Educating student-athletes on the health threats posed by contemporary cannabis and methods of use.
Identifying and explaining relevant harm reduction/mitigation strategies to those student-athletes who choose to legally consume cannabis.
For cannabis to be removed from the NCAA list of banned drugs, each of the three NCAA divisions’ governing bodies would have to introduce and adopt legislation. The committee will gather input from the membership this summer, with final action expected in the fall.