NCAA Removes Marijuana from Banned Substances List

Following the example of many professional sporting leagues, the National Collegiate Athletic Association is taking a progressive stance on drugs and college athletics. The largest governing body in intercollegiate sports announced that it is removing cannabis and marijuana products from the list of banned drugs. The move by the NCAA covers college football postseason and all Division I championships.

What does the announcement mean for college and sports, and more importantly, college athletes caught in the throes of a political, economic, and cultural marijuana attitude shift? It may be another sign that the stigma against cannabis is lifting, and the substance is becoming more accepted for not only its medicinal effects but also for its recreational place in young people’s lives.

The Journey to Removal from NCAA’s Banned Substances List

Nearly five months after the NCAA’s Division I Council proposed that the organization change its rules surrounding marijuana, the body voted to remove cannabis and marijuana products from its banned substances list effective immediately. In its groundbreaking decision, the NCAA says it recognizes that cannabis is not considered a performance-enhancing drug and should be treated in the same way as alcohol. In addition to the rule change being implemented immediately, it will also be applied retroactively, meaning penalties against players currently facing cannabis-related violations will be discontinued.

In a statement, Josh Whitman, Chair of the NCAA Council, says, “The NCAA drug testing program is intended to focus on the integrity of competition, and cannabis products do not provide a competitive advantage.” He also notes, “The council’s focus is on policies centered on student-athlete health and well-being rather than punishment for cannabis use.”

The move only impacts the college football postseason and all Division I championships because, during the regular season, most schools have their own set of drug testing policies and standards. Previously, cannabis and marijuana were in the same banned substances category as stimulants, anabolic steroids, narcotics, and growth hormones.

Many in the sporting community welcome the change. One study, conducted every four years, indicates that marijuana and cannabis use among student-athletes has increased 26 percent. In 2022, the NCAA raised the threshold for a positive THC test. Removing cannabis from the organization’s prohibited substances list seems a natural step forward as the agency looks to modernize its policies and move in a more progressive direction as other sporting organizations have done.

Following the NCAA announcement, some politicians came out to applaud the decision. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, issued a statement saying, “Slowly, surely, America is coming to its senses after 50 years of the failed war on drugs.”

Marijuana and Major Sports

The NCAA decision follows a broader trend among athletes and professional sporting organizations. From baseball to basketball, more major sporting leagues are relaxing their cannabis policies in favor of a more lenient approach to the substance. Effective during the 2020 MLB season, Major League Baseball removed marijuana and cannabis-derived products from its banned substances list. While the new policy means that players can consume marijuana without repercussions, they are still prohibited from coming to work “under the influence” of drugs or alcohol.

Under a collective bargaining agreement with the National Basketball Association, the NBA cannot test players for cannabis. The agreement meant that cannabis was removed from the NBA’s drug testing program, and players would be allowed to advocate marijuana products and promote cannabis brands publicly.

The National Hockey League still tests players for cannabis. However, the league does not punish players for a positive marijuana test. Instead, players who test abnormally high can face drug treatment recommendations. Doctors can suggest that the player flagged for potential drug abuse enter a Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program. The players are not required to enroll in the program if they do not want to. NHL defenseman Mathieu Schneider, now a senior executive at the NHLPA, said in an interview, “The thing that we’re really looking for is if there’s a guy that has an issue or a problem and he needs help — that’s what we’re trying to capture in that program.”

Many people applaud how the NHL handles cannabis in the league, by not punishing players but identifying when people may have issues and offering them the help they need.

Why the policy shift? In 2019, one study found that THC was legal in 28 of 31 NHL cities or about 90.3 percent of the NHL coverage area. Additionally, more athletes coping with pain from injuries or chronic health issues like insomnia brought on by intense training are turning to medicinal cannabis for pain relief. In 2022, the National Football League announced it was awarding a $1 million grant to study the effects of cannabinoids on pain management in elite football players.

Dr. Patrick Neary, an exercise physiologist, said of the grant, “The prevention and treatment of concussions is at the core of my research. That’s why I am excited to have the support of the NFL on this project. Our interdisciplinary research team believes that different cannabinoid formulations found in medical cannabis have the potential to benefit athletes suffering from the acute and long-term chronic effects of concussions.”

Despite the grant, the NFL still holds a firm no-marijuana mandate but limits testing to once per year before training camp. A new collective bargaining agreement between players and the NFL may eventually lead to more relaxed marijuana policies or the removal of marijuana from the banned substances list. The current CBA will remain in place through the 2030 NFL season.

As more states legalize medicinal and recreational cannabis and the federal government relaxes marijuana classification, more sporting leagues may adopt lenient cannabis policies and promote the study of medicinal marijuana to help athletes with pain management and injury recovery.

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