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NCAA to rethink marijuana policy

By Maddy Adams and Evan Neustater     2/11/15 7:07am

On the heels of two University of Oregon players’ suspension from the college football National Championship game after testing positive for marijuana use, the NCAA announced that it will be reexamining its drug policy.

According to the NCAA website, the association's Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports recommended extensive changes to the NCAA's drug testing policies, particularly with regards to testing for marijuana.

According to the NCAA, the recommendations were to "First, strengthen the NCAA drug testing program for performance-enhancing substances; second, development of a shared model of deterrence for recreational drug use (e.g., marijuana, alcohol and opiates) with a focus on educational programs instead of a traditional testing model" and "the responsibility for deterrence will be shared between the NCAA and member schools."



It remains unclear whether any policy changes will have an immediate impact at Rice. As of last semester, student athletes cannot be randomly tested for marijuana. 

Some, however, are skeptical of the decision. Mike Rhoades, head coach of Rice men’s basketball, said he still condemns drug use, regardless of what the NCAA decides. According to Rhoades, any change to NCAA policy would not impact his expectations of his players.

“We’re in a position right now [where] our guys know what’s right and wrong, what is becoming of a Rice basketball player,” Rhoades said. “The NCAA can look at anything it wants, but we will always abide by the rules: The rules of the school, the rules of the NCAA.”

According to Athletic Director Joe Karlgaard, Rice takes a hard stance against both recreational and performance-enhancing drug use.

“Our approach is that both types of drugs are unhealthy for our students and may also lead to negative consequences for our programs,” Karlgaard said.

According to a Rice student athlete, who preferred to remain anonymous due to the sensitive nature of this topic, the policy will only encourage drug use and will ultimately reflect poorly on the student and the university.

“I really think it’s bad; I don’t think drugs should have any part in Division I sports,” the athlete said. “Athletes receive scholarships to represent their school and should show a certain respect to the people paying for their education and to the sport itself.”

The NCAA said it is considering changes because the current drug policy has, in their opinion, failed to deter recreational drug use. Student athlete drug surveys conducted by the NCAA have indicated that alcohol use has dipped only slightly, marijuana use has remained consistent and opiate use has increased. 

Furthermore, players who lose eligibility due to drug use are more likely to drop out, according to the NCAA’s study. The results have prompted the association to focus on recreational drug education rather than punishment.

Some pro-marijuana legalization advocacy groups, however, have expressed their approval of the NCAA’s decision. Ethan Nadelmann, Executive Director of the Drug Policy Alliance, said the NCAA should not penalize athletes for marijuana use as it does not provide a competitive advantage, nor does it harm other non-users.

“Punishing athletes for marijuana use has nothing to do with fairness or safety in competitive sports and everything to do with inappropriate extensions of the drug war into American life,” Nadelmann said. “It's great to see the NCAA join with other sports associations in revising this hypocritical and harmful policy.”

According to Karlgaard, Rice Athletics will accept any future changes to the NCAA drug policy. 

“We will embrace any additional resources provided by the NCAA to educate our students on the consequences of drug use,” Karlgaard said. “I think it’s terrific that the NCAA is looking for better ways to educate students about drug use.”

The NCAA will announce any changes by the end of 2015.



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