In a recent announcement, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), has said it essentially eliminated marijuana use as a UFC violation.
The national anti-doping organization for the United States has “essentially” struck marijuana as a punishable offense in its anti-doping policy.
Starting retroactively Jan. 1, a positive drug test for carboxy-THC, which is the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis, will no longer be considered a violation. That is unless USADA is able to prove that an athlete intentionally used it for performance-enhancing purposes, according to a news release.
According to UFC senior vice president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky, who spoke to ESPN, this decision means USADA’s burden of proof on any positive drug tests for cannabis would be extremely high, “essentially” de-emphasizing marijuana sanctions completely.
Novitzky said USADA would have to prove a fighter was “impaired” due to cannabis just prior to the fight in order to impose a sanction.
“I can’t think of one instance in any historical cases where that evidence has been there,” Novitzky commented. “It would probably require visual signs if the athlete shows up at an event stumbling, smelling like marijuana, eyes bloodshot, things like that. And that’s … something you rarely, if ever, see. I certainly haven’t in my six years with the UFC.”
Novitzky believes that even if USADA did find such evidence, the fighter in question would likely get an admittance into a treatment program rather than a suspension.
“Why the hell do we care what someone did a week before, let alone a night before, when it doesn’t have any effect on their ability to fight,” Novitzky asked.
“This change is designed to prioritize fighter health and safety by not punishing fighters who may need treatment for substance abuse, which may lead to a fighter being impaired and jeopardize his or her safety in the Octagon,” the USADA release said.
It should be noted that most athletic commissions that oversee UFC events can still consider marijuana use a violation.
