Punishments for Cannabis, Cocaine & Other Recreational Drugs to be Reduced in 2021 WADA Code
The World Anti Doping Agency's (WADA) revised Anti-Doping Code will include a new classification for recreational drugs that will carry a much smaller punishment than before.
From January 1 2021, substances such as cocaine, heroin, MDMA and cannabis will be classified as 'Substances of Abuse' as WADA recognizes they can be taken out-of-competition for reasons unrelated to sports performance. These drugs currently carry a four-year ban but if an athlete can prove that their use occurred out-of-competition and was unrelated to sports performance, their ban will now be reduced to three months with no need to further analyze the degree of fault.
The athlete's ban can be reduced by a further month if they are willing to undertake a treatment program that is approved by their national anti-doping body. If the drug is taken in-competition but the athlete can prove the use was unrelated to performance, a two-year ban will be handed out as the infringement will be considered non-intentional.
WADA has made these changes in the interest of athlete welfare. A spokesperson told Cycling Weekly, "It was felt that the use of these drugs was often unrelated to sport performance. It was felt also that in cases where an athlete has a drug problem and is not seeking or benefitting from performance enhancement, the priority should be on the athlete’s health rather than on imposing a lengthy sporting sanction.” WADA also said that it would rather spend time and money on more serious doping violations rather than substance abuse.
The most high profile case in mountain biking involving one of these substances came from Gary Houseman, who won the Grouse Mountain round of the World Cup in 2003 but was later stripped of the win and fined 2,000 CHF after testing positive for THC. The full story was recently told by Mike Levy, here.
WADA has said it will consider adding more substances to the Substances of Abuse category in the future but started with those it felt were the highest priority.
Other changes to the 2021 WADA code include:
- Greater protection for Whistleblowers: Anti-Doping Organisations (ADOs) need people to come forward to report doping. This new rule gives these people more protection and applies if someone is threatened or intimidated in order to discourage them from reporting doping activity to authorities, or they are retaliated against for doing so.
- Reintorduciton of Aggravating Circumstances: A ban can be extended for two further years if an athlete is found to be abusing more than one substance.
- Results Management Agreement: A bit like pleading guilty in a court, a long ban can be reduced by a year if an athlete admits fault and accepts sanctions within 20 days.
- Recreational Athletes to be Treated Differently: Athletes who are below National or International level will be treated differently for sanctioning purposes.
Attempted Concealment and Tampering now Treated as Violations: The attempt to cover up doping or tampering with results by another person will now result in further sanctions.
The 2021 Code can be read in full, here.
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Drug driving and associated deaths, serious mental health issues, onward addiction etc etc and thats before you get onto the human trafficking side of production. Its absolutely horrific.
Never kid yourself that cannabis is harmless.
(And yes I realise some of that applies to alcohol and fags too)
Alcohol related dementia
MJ induced psychosis
Alcohol related depression
MJ induces mood disorder
Alcohol related crimes like sexual assault, assault with deadly weapons, impaired driving
Cyclical vomiting related to excessive MJ use.
Honestly, I recommend sobriety, even a casual night of partying can have terrible consequences: blackouts = brain injury
But hey, it’s your body, I’m just educating folks.
I saw a lady the other day, 65yo, severe dementia, no family of dementia, no health problems, only reason for dementia was she had been an alcoholic.
Of course you all know about tobacco....
If you legalize it, people can grow it locally. The demand for import drops and it no longer comes from South of the border, (East in your case?) not to mention you get better weed and it costs less...
I think it does depend on where you live. Here in the uk there is an issue with slavery - illegal immigrants will be used to farm cannabis plantations and the like. Its probably a small portion of cannabis production but it's still an amount of abuse directly linked to it. Elsewhere in the world, particularly anywhere it's been legalised, that's probably less of the case and a good argument to legalise.
I also believe that modern strands with very high levels of thc are more harm causing. You've only got to look at Mamba / Spice, which is a very powerful synthetic cannabis, to see that. Again, regulation may help prevent that by preventing the most powerful types?
Each individual can make their own choice and I won't critisise them. Is it on the same scale as heroine or coke - of course not. Is it worse than alcohol? Maybe, or maybe not! However, to argue that it isn't harmful is similar to arguing the same about alcohol - yes it is harmful, but many will use with a level of moderation that means that the effect is minimal.
Remember to keep this article in context. It's about what should be banned from competition. Drinking too much water can kill you, so should that also be on the list?
Like I said, people can do what they want (within reason). Personally I think it is a harmful as alcohol, and that legalisation would potentially solve a lot of the negative aspects. In relation to whether recreational drugs should be able to destroy an athletes career I think it's overly harsh.
Sorry bro, better luck next time.
I also know a ton of badass (in work and play) who smoke weed.
If you want to learn about high performers who smoke weed (and you at slightly open minded) then you should listen to Joe Rogan.
The only harmful part of marijuana is that it’s illegal. Putting people in jail for minor drug offenses, is more harmful than the drug. Fact.
Just look at all the states in the us that have legalized it. No increase in crazy people, no sudden pileups on every highway, no anything bad really to speak of aside from a kid getting into a parents edible stash here and there.
Just a lot of people more relaxed, in less pain, and growing their own cannabis. It’s legal in Vermont now and everything is still exactly the same except I can talk about it openly and grow my two plants at a time and not worry about being bothered or a not getting a job because it shows up on a drug test etc.
For every anecdote about someone with a mood disorder from smoking there is actual proof of it helping people with mental illness. People like me. People like my dad suffering from colon cancer. People like my best friend suffering from ocd. It helps people, stop being an old miserable piece of crap.
For example, put 10 people in a room with 10 bottles of hard stuff and 10 other people in another room with 10 bags of weed. After a few hrs, in the booze room people are not making any sense, loudly arguing with each other, yelling, maybe even pushing each other and even combative, as alcohol can heighten testosterone, bad moods, etc . In the green room (pot), everyone is telling jokes, vegging, having a good time, etc. If you are pissed off and drink, it will probably make it worst. If you are pissed off and smoke a joint, most people will feel much better, relaxed and calm down.
Besides this, the positive benefits of the marijuana plant are many. Besides studies, I know a few people including myself that our blood count (PSA levels) went down much lower taking "only" CBD oil before our cancer treatments started. This really benefitted me as I was misdiagnosed for a long time and the cancer got much worst and cancer got another stage further until I started taking CBD oil and then things finally took a positive turn.
Many of us have heard that CBD has many good positives but even THC, the major active component of marijuana, has anti-cancer properties. This compound is known to act through a specific family of cell receptors called cannabinoid receptors. Smoking marijuana can help with nausea and vomiting, inflammation, etc and I can attest to helping me with all that. I have stomach issues and have problem taking any man made chemicals (even over the counter medicine), but marijuana helps me eat and at least maintain my weight after the cancer (was very sick weighing only 126lbs at 5"11"). Pot even helps with my nerve and bone pain from all the radiation directed at my pelvic/groin area.
I've heard one glass of red wine can be good for you, but alcohol does not have any other benefits especially if you drink too much. Pot has so many benefits that we are still finding out and can never be compared to alcohol...Simply put, I don't think I would still be here without it.
However, tobacco is not good for anyone period. It is not "au natural" as the final product has been changed by man. Mainly due to this, when burned, tobacco produces more than 7000 chemicals. At least 69 of these chemicals are known to cause cancer and many others are toxic, including arsenic (rat poison), carbon monoxide, solvents, incectisides, rocket fuel, toilet cleaner, paint stripper, ammonia, acetone, hydrogen cyanide, sulphur, lead, formaldehyde, etc
Yes, asbestos is a natural product which is mined from the ground. As ridiculous as it sounds some countries still use Asbestos which is so dangerous if inhaled (can cause lung cancer & mesothelioma). Although Canada banned asbestos finally in 2018, it can still be used legally here for some cases. Up until 2011, Canada was a major exporter of asbestos.
Hard to ignore crude oil though, as I guess you could say, where would we be w/o it?
None of these can be compared to all the benefits that natural weed can provide except sunlight which many cancer patients use to help in their recovery, etc.
Suggesting that one drug is worse than another because you don’t like it, doesn’t make either one worse or better.
And yes, anything, anything in excess can cause a problem including medications, drugs, and UV radiation.
I'll also add it depends on the cannabis itself - there's some potent stuff out there now (far more so than when I was younger). I'm a strong believer that moderation is a good thing and I get it that there's a significant majority of good and decent people out there who use without significant issue to their health (i.e. likely less of an issue than drinking every day). This obviously depends on the person and the substance, but from personal experience it still worries me a little. I'll counter that with the fact that many people have (anecdotal) stories of positive outcomes with cannabis use, so it's good that (with legalisation in some places in the world) more research should now take place and, hopefully, put an end to the arguments about harm, one way or the other! I do think that with legalisation / controls the public perception of cannabis would likely be significantly different.
Just to reiterate though, I'm very much of the opinion that people should be able to make their own decisions as to what is right or wrong for them (ignoring any arguments about capacity to make those decisions) as long as it doesn't cause a negative impact on others. i.e. Don't be a dick and let's be nice to each other! If anyone uses cannabis it doesn't bother me in the slightest - I just like the idea that people make informed decisions.
I am not suggesting pot is way better simply due to not liking alcohol. I used to drink and even in the best days, I can remember felling terrible the next morning after drinking the night before. If I drank now, I would feel sick for days. Smoking marijuana and taking CBD oil helps me feel better in so many ways, especially after my tough battle with cancer.
Due to being misdiagnosed for a long time and the doctors error on the surgery including all the screwups before during and after the cancer treatment, the one positive that helps me is pot (smoking it and taking CBD oil). I was so weak and nothing left of me (only 126lbs) it hurt to even sit and I could not even get up to do anything to help make me stronger again. When I 1st tried CBD oil, suddenly I was off my chair doing some light exercises and stretching within 1/2hr of trying it. This cannot be argued the difference it made for me.
Due to all the problems that occurred, they could not even finish my chemo after all the extensive radiation treatment. Taking CBD oil helps prevent the cancer from coming back, especially important since the cancer and my health problems prevented the doctors from finishing all the cancer treatment. Can alcohol do this, no. In fact I would be back in the hospital if I drank instead of using pot. Furthermore, I could not eat hardly anything at the hospital after surgery until I got home and smoked one and then felt better immediately and now finally able to put some of the weight back on.
I understand many doctors/nurses are not aware of the many benefits this plant has, but I can say for sure it is helped me a lot. I'm not sure why me mentioning this you consider hypocrisy inherent in my thought process? Maybe a bit strong for a comment?
Who makes the list of what is banned and what is not? The whole subject is open to constantly changing opinion and interpretation.
I say legalise everything in sport. There are many ways to improve performance. Training is one of them.
(other deities are available)
Give a teen their first beer and they wak out loopy. However an experienced drinker no issue.
I would much rather work the next day with someone who had a joint at night than someone who had a six pack.
Thats fact jack, the results are already in the annuls of sporting history, just discrete.
I have interviewed about six or seven folks recently who said they can pass a drug test "cause they got the marijuana card"....laughable. I cant wait to see how the courts will create new regulations to arrest people for driving high (deservedly so, no different than alcohol).
Smoking a joint can actually help people concentrate and be more cautious, plus most people would not be speeding if getting behind the wheel after puffing. Also smoking pot before driving does not cause blurry vision problems (seeing double or more) compared to alcohol. The more you drink, the more drunk you get and each drink makes it worst to even think of getting behind the wheel. Once you are high, it does not matter how much more you smoke, as you can only get so high and each joint will not make it worst (except maybe on your lungs).
I am not saying to everyone go smoke a joint and then go for a drive, but in no way is smoking pot the same as drinking and driving, and I'm not sure how anyone can claim that they are the same? The problem with any testing is that marijuana can show up in your blood system for a very long time, whereas alcohol, and almost all hard drugs (man made chemicals) do not stay in the body long. The reason for this is our bodies try and get rid of too much alcohol and any of these harsh hard drugs in our system, as they are not good for us at all and will slowly kill you with too much. I worked with someone that used to do crystal meth and when he quit, his entire back turned to chemical boils (his body naturally trying to get rid of these man made toxic chemicals as quickly as possible). Never mind all the many positives marijuana have for people (fighting cancer, inflammation, stomach problems, anxiety, seizures, etc, etc)
The biggest problem is still people's misconception about marijuana being labelled with the rest of the drugs (man made hard chemical drugs) which are extremely bad for you.
I really question the procedures used to test for pot? Let me try and understand your reasoning? So someone who tests positive for marijuana due to smoking one small joint weeks earlier will not get a job, but someone who went on 4 big stupid drinking binges earlier in the week or someone who just did crack, crystal meth, etc just days earlier who does not test positive on one of these tainted tests will get the job? Can you honestly say this kind of reasoning makes sense?
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DzWz3En07og
Again, definitive proof that riding on THC, for SOME riders makes them:
-faster
- more in controlled
-bronchio-dialated
- able to perform better in ALL disciplines
For those stating that the impact on performance and driving is the same as alcohol, GET OFF THE GRASS.
30 years of testing and still going.
Again - results are in the record books, they are of course discrete due to particular segments of society, backed by commercial benefit of some industries knee jerk reactions and self interest.
How about @PinkBike run a series of documented performance tests......in a jurisdiction so inclined.
I’m all about novice sensationalist reports and videos - since experienced users would likely sound like my mate, above. We’re not exactly going to get a double blind study with a significant sample size looking at the effects of illegal drugs are we? If I was into taking illegal drugs, which I’m not, I wouldn’t be telling everyone and partaking in “studies” to prove that my substance of choice was not as bad as people think. On account of that, may as well have some fun coming up with findings.
Otherwards, let's hire some drug addicts (pcp, meth, coke, etc) and people with major drinking problems, but don't hire that guy who only smokes a joint once in while. Again this kind of old school does not make an sense, especially nowadays???
In fact, even the NBA just suspended their random testing for marijuana due to it's medicinal qualities and to help fight inflammation and pain. Both the NBA and NFL are considering changing their policy on testing for marijuana. Here's the link: news.abs-cbn.com/sports/12/06/20/nba-suspends-marijuana-testing-for-2020-21
Furthermore, if you are upset, mad and pissed off, go out drinking and alcohol just makes it worst (heightens the mood) and now you are a mad drunk all pissed off and ready to fight. Put 2 enemies/adversary's next to each other with a bottle of hard stuff each, and see what happens? You now have a fight and or maybe a war if do this with a bunch of guys or enemies. Even if not enemies, it can still easily escalate to major tension, yelling or much worst. People can easily lose jobs and even lose their families if you drink too much. Hard drugs are even much worst and you will never hold a job or have a family. Besides alcohol, hard drugs can also make people want to hurt others badly.
I don't know of too many times that you hear people beating each other up after smoking a joint...lol. In fact, if you are mad, upset or really pissed off and smoke a joint, 10 min later you feel better and say it's all good, no worries. I can't think I've heard of anyone going on a killing spree after smoking some weed? What do you think was in that peace pipe when the Pilgrims and Natives sat down and had the 1st Thanksgiving dinner. They were killing each other the day before and now all of a sudden they get along (I don't think it was due to the Turkey dinner...lol).
The quicker people realize this and don't stupidly still think alcohol is good for you and weed is not because that's what we were told years ago (that's another story why they legalized alcohol and not marijuana during prohibition), the better off we will be. Think what pot could have done to stop so many wars (ok everyone stop fighting, take a break and let's smoke one....,and suddenly everyone now get's along....)
Bill Hicks
The biggest problem is marijuana can stay in your body for a very long time whereas many hard drugs don't. This is maybe due to our bodies trying to get rid of the hard drugs as fast as possible as man made chemicals (hard drugs) are clearly not good for anyone and will slowly kill us. God's gift to mankind (weed) has so many positives (and finally the uninformed are starting to realize this) and our bodies like it, so maybe reason marijuana stays in our bodies so long. I smoke it and use CBD oil daily to alleviate a lot of pain and to keep the cancer from coming back. Am I faster on my bike, probably not, so athletes should not be penalized if any marijuana is found in their system, especially when they could have been exposed or used some many weeks even before the competition. Due to this, any drug testing is not accurate!
Drugs for the most part don't vibe well for me but I know plenty of people that partake in cannabis and they are all respectable, hard working humans and the ones that have kids are also great parents. No reason that kids need to know they took an edible a week before race day, it's really none of mine or anyone's business because it has zero effect on us nor does it have any "race safety or health risks".
I really have no problem with people taking mild drugs. I just think for pro athletes, you have to draw a clear line. Just ban everything that could be performance enhancing or dangerous, apart from stuff that is considered part of normal nutrition.
Performance enhancing? f*ck no, though riding on opiates can make you ride for longer and harder albeit in a relaxed manner, but your judgement is impaired.
Cocaine is like putting your foot down on the gas until you either crash, or literally run out of puff, or both.
LSD, you might ride about 10 metres before you think your bike is talking to you and changing colour haha...
Weed, got the munchies pretty quickly, judgement also impaired but pretty buzzy at the same time.
Riding drunk, avoid. Not recommended. Will ride into the back of a parked car/phonebox/bus stop etc.
Nowadays, coffee, coffee and protein bars.
Now were cooking with GAS
Sarah Lynn Himmelfarb (1984-2016)
This explains why my weekend coke binges haven’t yield any results.
I guess I’ll try heroine next.
Blue collar jobs = drug testing after the company party
White collar jobs = testing drugs at the company party
I wore Blue, I wore White... then decided to tread my own path. I do reprimand myself sometimes though. Not everyday can be a fun day.
I did not know about all of them existing until you told me today, thanks
95% of people and more are not even close to competing events mentioned above why would we care about these rules?
Cocaine, cocaine
Cocaine, oh
Cocaine
...but after...
Sorry wrong sport.
It’ll ultimately be left to the individual to decide on their substance abuse, as all drugs are ultimately decriminalized, do expect more DUIs, more homicide/suicide, and more health related problems
Even without that potential reduction in acute abuses, homicides from cannabis-induced psychosis or similar could be vastly outweighed by a reduction in homicides related to illicit sales and distribution (cartels and gangs murder lots of people)
@zede: 'what should we tell ecstasy users?'--variety is the spice of life
@kit-nz: one thing we know for sure is dangerous: mountain biking
The study you link to is from 2000, everything I’ve found from the mid-2000 on indicates the RELATIVE harm of MDMA is very low. Link below is from last year and based on the UK Govt research from 2010.
Is there SOME harm, including the possibility of long term psychological side effects from MDMA use? Research says, probably. Is it likely, across all areas of health, to be less impactful than most other drugs (including tobacco and alcohol), probably. Should you take MDMA? Your choice.
psychscenehub.com/staging/video/illegal-drugs-analysis-harms-prof-david-nutt
Don’t fool yourself, saying something had always been this way is not a justification for keeping things the same, nor is it an excuse for doing something wrong.
I remember when organisations like the IOC had grand ideals, and inspired the best in humanity, and WADA was tasked with ensuring those who succeeded met that standard. Now they both seem little more than impotent bureaucracies, incapable of much beyond cosying up to corporate interests and pandering to popular sentiment. They no longer lead; They serve themselves only IMO.
WADA used to understand that certain substances were unsafe and discouraged athletes (and by extension their fans- including highly-impressionable youths) from consuming them by imposing lenghty bans if they were caught doing so. This is a worrying abdication of their responsibilities to people everywhere, of all ages.