The Sports World Treats Cannabis Use Too Harshly

Sports and Marijuana dwr

The sports world treats marijuana use too harshly
by Patrick Hruby at Sports on Earth.

I love seeing drug policy reform articles in media aimed at other interests, because it helps reach new audiences, and certainly the sports crowd is one we’d like to get motivated.

It’s one thing for voters and politicians alike to make and cling to bad laws. That’s kind of what both groups do. It’s another thing entirely for what seems like the whole sports world — the same oft-progressive place that gave us Jackie Robinson standing up to segregation, Billie Jean King battling sexism and Muhammad Ali just saying no to the Vietnam War — to blithely and counterproductively follow suit. [...]

Marijuana policy across sports should follow suit. The Houston Texans and Florida Atlantic can’t force the federal government to decriminalize pot. But they could be less uptight within their own organizations. So could leagues and governing bodies. There’s no need to test athletes for weed (most employers don’t); no need to punish them for use (leave that to the actual legal system); no need to play part-time Crockett and Tubbs when even Attorney General Eric Holder admits that federal prosecutors have no plans to go after marijuana smokers in states that permit recreational use. At the very least, the sports world could adopt a don’t ask, don’t tell approach — one that pays lips service to traditional anti-marijuana laws and social mores while recognizing those same laws and mores are rapidly shifting. [...]

Once upon a time, racially integrated competition was unthinkable. So were openly gay athletes. Things change. Marijuana already is legally considered medicine in 18 states and the District of Columbia. Three years ago, an ABC News poll found that 8 of 10 Americans support legalizing marijuana for medical use. Just last month, a Gallup poll found that 58 percent of the country favors legalization for recreational use as well — the first time ever that a majority of the country has supported legalization, and a 10 percent rise in a year’s time. Again, things change. Sports should, too. The alternative is shortsighted. Behind the curve. Just plain dumb. Enough with the Reefer Madness. The real problem with the Texans’ trio isn’t that they (allegedly) smoked pot; it’s that they did so a decade too soon. For Florida Atlantic’s sake, I hope Pelini robbed a bank.

It’s time for the sports world to stop their own additional misguided war against marijuana.

"The Fans Would Throw Little Tinfoils Of Hash At Me"
A 1980 Interview With Bill "Spaceman" Lee, Baseball's Stoner Evangelist

Bill Lee - 2008 Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee - 420 Magazine

"Keep it as natural as possible. As far as hydroponics goes, don't use the chemical additives. Try to live an organic life. Make brownies. Also, kill all the males!"
- Bill Lee

Bill "The Spaceman" Lee - Boston Phoenix

Pot Gaming Site Dream Come True for Stoners
With online games that require a proper smoking device to participate just as much as they do a working computer, it should come as no surprise that the creator of a new ganja gaming website wants to encourage players to get stoned to bone while they waste a little time. ...

Interview Red Sox's Bill 'Spaceman' Lee
Danny Danko interviews left-handed pitcher Bill Lee, known as "The Spaceman" for his countercultural leanings, outspoken beliefs and quirky pitching style. Upon turning 60, he muses about playing for the Red Sox and Expos, as well as smoking pot with George W. Bush...

VICE ‏@VICE
Why didn't we elect Boston Red Sox pitcher/marijuana reform advocate Bill Lee president?

Bill Lee (left-handed pitcher)
He claimed his marijuana use made him impervious to bus fumes while jogging to work at Fenway Park. n 2007, Lee was featured in High Times, a counter-culture, pro-marijuana magazine.

google: Bill Lee boston baseball player marijuana



Chris Perez pleads no contest
ROCKY RIVER, Ohio -- Cleveland Indians two-time All-Star closer Chris Perez pleaded no contest and was convicted Tuesday of misdemeanor drug abuse for marijuana shipped to his home in the family dog's name.

Thieves claim they stole marijuana from Rays players
The two men arrested and charged with burglarizing the spring training rental home of the Tampa Bay Rays' Evan Longoria, David Price and Reid Brignac told police that one of the items they took was a container of marijuana, according to the St. Petersburg Times.

Major League Baseball Needs To Rethink Marijuana Rules
By Bob Humphreys May 16, 2012

Hypocrisy in America’s Favorite Pastime?

Cleaned-up hitter April 1, 2010
Carbo helped win Game 6 and also defeated addiction


Bernie Carbo was out of major league baseball by the age of 33, but now stays connected with the game by running a fantasy camp each year in Mobile, Ala. (Stan Grossfeld/ Globe Staff)

MOBILE, Ala. — Bernie Carbo launched the greatest pinch-hit home run in Red Sox history. He admitted he was high on drugs during the 1975 World Series.

“I probably smoked two joints, drank about three or four beers, got to the ballpark, took some [amphetamines], took a pain pill, drank a cup of coffee, chewed some tobacco, had a cigarette, and got up to the plate and hit,’’ Carbo said.



UFC exec asks for softer stance against marijuana users
LAS VEGAS – If UFC exec Marc Ratner has his way, fighters testing positive for marijuana following bouts in Nevada would be treated very differently than those who are busted for using performance-enhancing drugs.

High Minded Sports: NBA and MMA OK With Pot Use
by Blake Baked September 18th, 2012 Celebrity Stoners, Sports.
2012 was a wonderful year for two professional sports, particularly if you are an athlete that either has a medical marijuana recommendation or if your fond of recreational pot smoking.

 

Football and Cannabis –
the truth about Marijuana and Football
by Soccerlens on April 20, 2012
April 20th (4-20) is Cannabis day. In that context, today we look at the relationship between the world’s most popular sport (football) and the world’s third-most popular recreational drug (after tobacco and alcohol).



Cannabis Use Stabilises In Europe, Heroin Rises
LISBON NOVEMBER 6 2008
Estimated number of cannabis users in the 15-34 year age group last year was unchanged from 2006 at 17.5 million.



11 People Whose Lives Were Destroyed By Marijuana

NFL's Buzzkill
The Hypocrisy of the NFL
Professional Sports Hypocrisy
Marijuana and the NFL again
Stanford band ruins 2013 Rose Bowl (for boring people)
Pro-Pot Ad Debuts At NASCAR Race
The Sports World Treats Cannabis Use Too Harshly

Ricky Williams: Marijuana for me was like spinach for Popeye

Discussion of drugs in sport -
Scientist versus simplistic moralist
BBC R4, 23/10/13 - listen from 1hr 20m

Piss Tasting for Profit and Political Gain

NCAA to Tighten Up Marijuana Testing, But Reduce Penalties
by Phillip Smith, January 28, 2013

The NCAA is reducing the threshold for a positive result for marijuana, meaning that student athletes who smoke pot are more likely to be caught. At the same time, however, it is recommending reducing the penalty for those testing positive for marijuana.

Rules change on Olympic marijuana testing
July 17, 2013

It's been 15 years since Ross Rebagliati won snowboarding's first Olympic gold medal at the 1998 Winter Games — and then nearly lost that medal after he tested positive for marijuana.

Since then, the drug has become an integral part of Rebagliati's life. Next month Rebagliati will open a medicinal marijuana dispensary in Whistler, British Columbia, called "Ross' Gold." The Canadian has also become a public face for pot-smoking athletes around the globe.

Good news Nick Diaz,
the NSAC officially raised the testing threshold of marijuana by 300%
by Zeus @MiddleEasy September 5, 2013

If the MMA media was asked to undergo random drug testing and face suspension upon positive test results, we’d never bother getting out of bed in the first place. Our mornings would consist of locating the nearest open bag Cheetos and digging through it for breakfast. Our afternoons would be spent contemplating if the Frito-Lay corporation intended for our fingers to get saturated with flavor powder from the Cheetos just so it stains our fingers orange for the rest of the day and makes us want to return to snacking until we wash our hands. Even our evenings would be spent playing video games until we pass out or get evicted from our domiciles. In the meantime, none of us would write articles, conduct interviews, or update our websites and the world of combat sports news would reside in the hands of fans discussing it on twitter. In other words, nothing would change.

The truth of the matter is: Marijuana is not a performance enhancing drug.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vUhSYLRw14"]No Mas Presents: Dock Ellis & The LSD No-No by James Blagden - YouTube
Pitcher Dock Ellis' Legendary LSD No-Hitter

The Reality Of Permissive Cannabis Laws

MARIHUANA TAX ACT OF 1937 RISES FROM THE DEAD

Divvying Up Washington's Legal Pot Taxes

 

TL;DR

My opinion:

Completely agree. I can't see why it's so harsh when the drug itself probably takes more skill away from the user.