Cannabis was the subject when a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) commit- tee focused on promoting health and wellness for student-athletes convened in Indianapolis earlier this summer. The Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CCSMAS) wanted to review whether it was necessary to continue testing its college athletes for THC or any other cannabinoids.
According to a press release from June 16, the NCAA agreed that “cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug and that a harm reduction approach to cannabis is best implemented at the school level.”
The organization listed several more points of rationale behind the re-evaluation of this topic. It wanted to shift toward a “harm reduction philosophy” for cannabis, similar to that of alcohol, while at the same time focusing its efforts and resources on identifying actual performance-enhancing drug use, as well as “problematic cannabis use.”
However, it would require all three of the NCAA’s divisional governing bodies to approve the proposal in order to remove cannabis from its banned substances list.
On Sept. 22, the committee announced it was formally recommending all three of those governing bodies enact legislation that would do exactly that. And if they do, the decision will affect more than 350 schools across the country — including CU Boulder.
“When making a decision on an important topic like this, we agree that the membership should have an opportunity to vote on the final out- come,” said James Houle, CCSMAS chair and lead sport psychologist at Ohio State. “We are recommending a big shift in the paradigm when it comes to cannabinoids.”
This comes after the organization enacted legislation in 2022 raising the THC threshold constituting a “positive test” for college athletes. It aligned its policy with that of the World Anti-Doping Agency, increasing it from 35 nanograms per milliliter to 150.
‘MODERNIZE THE STRATEGY’
It also comes following Major League Baseball’s (MLB) 2019 change that removed cannabis from its list of banned substances. As well as the National Football Association’s (NFL) 2021 announcement that it would no longer be testing players in the off-season for THC. And in April of 2023, the National Basketball Association (NBA) similarly announced it was permanently removing cannabis from its own list of banned substances (Weed Between the Lines, “National Moneyball Association,” June 1, 2023).
CCSMAS says its recommendation is based on extensive studies informed by the December 2022 Summit on Cannabinoids in College Athletics. That summit solicited advice from industry and subject matter experts, including doctors, substance misuse experts, and “membership practitioners.” The policy suggested by CCSMAS would emphasize a focus on harm- reduction strategies concerning cannabis. It would also prioritize education and support over penalties, according to the NCAA.
“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.
Should legislation pass to enact this change in NCAA policy, CU’s student-athletes would no longer be tested for THC or other cannabinoids. The Buffaloes could use cannabis both recreationally and medicinally.
With so much research, both anecdotal and medical, suggesting canna- bis can help athletes recover after workouts, and manage anxiety, chronic pain, sleeplessness, inflammation, and more (Weed Between the Lines, “Running on CBD,” April 1, 2021), this could be an opportunity for many of Boulder’s student-athletes to better manage the “stress of the job” — without risking their scholarships or place on their team, and without using pharmaceutical drugs.
The NCAA’s three governing bodies have yet to vote. But the CCSMAS recommendation is a signal as to which way the scales are tilting. It acknowledges this in its statement. But in the end, the organization says it aims to recenter student-athlete health “while recognizing membership opinions and the shifting cultural and legal land- scapes surrounding cannabinoids.”
