Why it matters: The National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS) has issued a statement in support of removing cannabis from its list of banned substances. This indicates a changing attitude towards cannabis in sports, as more organizations consider revising their policies.
What they are saying: CSMAS stated that cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug and that a harm reduction approach to cannabis is best implemented at the school level. The committee also adopted a trace level threshold for the metabolic modulator GW1516 to be less than 0.1 nanograms per milliliter. CSMAS shared that it has reviewed an early draft of the NCAA Mental Health Advisory Group document and stated its preliminary support.
The big picture: This update was motivated by the 2022 Summit on Cannabinoids in College Athletics, which came to the consensus that cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug. Other sports organizations are also reevaluating their policies, such as the National Basketball Association (NBA) and National Basketball Players Association (NBPA), which are considering removing cannabis from their list of banned substances.
What to watch: Divisions I, II, and III must introduce and adopt legislation for cannabis to be removed from the NCAA substance list. The Mental Health Advisory Group will continue to work on its final updates for CSMAS sometime this year, with the expectation of making the updates available between 2024-2025. It will be interesting to see how other organizations and associations respond to this update and if they will also revise their policies.
My take: It is encouraging to see organizations reevaluating their policies towards cannabis and prioritizing harm reduction over punishment. As more research is conducted on the medical benefits of cannabis, these changes in attitude are necessary to reflect the changing views on the substance. It is important to continue educating student-athletes on the health impacts of cannabis and to implement responsible usage practices.
