Football stars probably won't be swapping their celebratory cigars for joints anytime soon, but a new recommendation from an NCAA committee could change how marijuana is treated in collegiate sports.
The committee suggested that each of the association's three divisional governance bodies introduce and adopt legislation to remove cannabinoids — the chemical substance taken from cannabis plants — from the NCAA's list of banned drugs, according to a release published Friday.
The proposal came from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS) which guides the association on issues involving athlete health. Members of the committee met this week in Indianapolis, per the release.
A move like this has been signaled since at least June, when the committee expressed its intent to gather input on removing cannabinoids from the Association's banned drug list and testing protocols. Last month, the NCAA Board of Governors asked the committee to begin a legislative approach, the release said.
Noting that cannabis isn't a performance-enhancing drug, the release added that the recommendation is part of an "effort to recenter student-athlete health while recognizing membership opinions and the shifting cultural and legal landscapes surrounding cannabinoids."
With the recreational use of cannabis legal in 23 states, three U.S. territories, and D.C., the landscape will likely continue to change. In a 2019 study published in the journal PLOS One, 26 percent of 1,161 self-identified athletes, mostly runners, cyclists and triathletes, reported that they were current users of cannabis.
Use of the plant's properties was increasingly reported across different sports and levels of competition with some potential promise for aiding athletes with sleep quality, pain and mild traumatic brain injury, a 2021 study said.
"When making a decision on an important topic like this, we agree that the membership should have an opportunity to vote on the final outcome," James Houle, committee chair and lead sport psychologist at Ohio State said in the NCAA's release. "We are recommending a big shift in the paradigm when it comes to cannabinoids. 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."
The release mentioned taking a "harm-reduction approach" to cannabis at the school level, which is how the association currently approaches alcohol.
To prioritize education instead of penalties, committee members will develop a strategy with recommendations from the NCAA Mental Health Advisory Group, per the release.
CSMAS will consider a final draft of the updated proposal at its December meeting, where it will decide whether to request final approval from the NCAA Board of Governors. Then, the three divisional governance structures will determine the timeline ahead.
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