The Marijuana Movement

As marijuana is becoming more accepted legally and socially around our country, the NCAA is grappling with the idea of how to combat the increased use of it amongst its student athletes.  The chief medical officer, Brian Hainline, is concerned that synthetic marijuana, which contains synthetic chemicals along with the natural herb is dangerous and that version is becoming the most popular.  However, it is not considered a performance enhancing drug in all reality, with the only upside really being the ability to relax easier.  Still, action is being taken to avoid this steep climb in use within its student athletes.  To deter marijuana use, the NCAA is lowering the threshold, effective Aug. 1, for what determines a positive test. The threshold is being reduced from 15 to five nanograms per milliliter. The change will make it easier to detect marijuana usage based on urine testing.

Many schools do their own individual testing and hand out their own punishments, not necessarily trying to embarrass or dismiss the offenders, but to encourage deterrence and counseling for those that may have a problem stopping use of the drug.  A school like Purdue, depending on the circumstance of the student, they provide somewhat of a three strike approach before game time and real punishment is actually implemented.  At a school like Virginia Tech, first positive test of a prohibited substance enforces game time lost (one-tenth of the season).

Legal or Illegal?

 In the cases of college athletes, whose sole tasks are to simply attend class and practice, they more evidently display deviance by using such illegal drugs as marijuana simply to relay a special image of themselves towards others or to be purposefully different than the standard student.  In the case of states that have not allowed marijuana to be used legally, this one breaks the law, and two reflects poorly back towards their teammates and athletic program they are a part of.