Breaking NFL News! Some College Students Use Marijuana!
Today, Sports Illustrated (on SI.com) breathlessly reported an “epidemic” of marijuana use among student-athletes eligible for the 2010 National Football League draft. Apparently, despite the fact that approximately 40 to 50 percent of high school students in the U.S. use marijuana by the time they graduate, it is somehow shocking that 20-33 percent of college-aged athletes have tried the substance.
Here is how one NFL team personnel executive described the “problem”:
“Marijuana use is almost epidemic, with more guys having tested positive for marijuana at some point in their college background than I can ever remember. It’s almost as if we are having to figure out a new way to evaluate it as part of the character and background report, because it’s so prevalent.”
The real question here is whether the simple use of marijuana by a student-athlete should be considered a “character flaw.” Sure it is illegal. But so is the underage use of alcohol. As is driving over the speed limit. Scouts do not consider someone a “character” risk for these actions.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted a column on Alternet related to the Ben Roethlisberger situation. I made the point that the NFL’s existing policies steer players toward alcohol instead of marijuana. I believe what I wrote at the end of that column is relevant here:
Sure, players who use marijuana might still get in trouble with local law enforcement. And if they do, they will have to deal with the consequences. But the NFL has no reason to blindly and ignorantly mimic the government’s irrational marijuana policies. At some point even the government will stop the insanity and will allow adults to use marijuana instead of alcohol, if that is what they prefer. For now, the NFL needs to adopt that policy itself.
We are neither encouraging nor condoning the use of marijuana by students. But let’s get real about this. If people at some point in their life choose to make the rational choice to use marijuana instead of alcohol, why should any entity punish them for doing so or consider it some kind of Scarlet “M” on their record?
And to all you professional draft experts out there, maybe you should think twice this year before not drafting someone like Percy Harvin because of something you consider a character flaw.
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Interestingly enough, the situation is a bit different in baseball. The MLBPA, while it has allowed random performance-enhancing substance testing to become part of the game, has refused to agree to testing of any kind for any recreational substances. As a result, MLB players (this does not include coaches and minor league players) can smoke marijuana with little or no consequences, except when law enforcement becomes involved as it did for Tim Lincecum.
This war on marijuana use by the NFL is petty and counterproductive. Ricky Williams lost the best years of his career because of failed marijuana tests. Next time you’re at an NFL stadium or watching a game on TV, try to keep track of how many ads you see for alcoholic beverages. I bet you lose count.
@Rhayader – glad you brought up Ricky Williams. I been a Phins fan for a while and Ricky’s story is a great example of non-sense that goes in NFL. He testeed postive several times, first time he was benched for serveral games and second time he was kicked out. He played in Canada for two seasons and then Dolhpins welcomed him back, and he had pretty good last two seasons with the Phins.
I’m pretty sure Ricky W. tried marijuana long before he got to NFL and I’m pretty sure he’ll go right back to it after his career is done with NFL. It’s time that everybody, the government, the employers recognized that marijuana is something that we do, it’s not who we are. People have to stop judging other people based on the fact that they smoke/consume marijuana.
Also, I didnt know MLB had a more lenient policy towards recreational drugs than NFL. What about NBA then? what is their stance on recreational drug use?
At the same time, just like any employer, NFL probably reserves the right to only hire/draft individuals that they see fit and enforce penalties on the ones who break their policies in regards to recreational use.
Just a thought. What if all new NFL recruits tested positive? would we not have a draft this year?
Free The Weed. Free The People.
What about NBA then? what is their stance on recreational drug use?
The NBA actually has a separate category for marijuana specifically. A first positive for pot has no penalty. A second offense is a $25k fine, third offense is a 5-game suspension, fourth is a 10-game suspension, and it goes on up in 5-game increments for subsequent offenses.
There are two other categories in the NBA testing program: performance-enhancing drugs and “drugs of abuse” (which is basically every illegal recreational drug besides cannabis). Those both carry much stiffer penalties than positive tests for cannabis.
Seems pretty enlightened, at least when compared to the NFL policies. I like that the league officially recognizes the relative harmlessness of cannabis.
(Disclaimer: The above information is based on the following ESPN article, which is a few years old.)
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2308918
Everyone has a vice, no matter if it is overeating, addiction to computers, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol or smoking weed or whatever they do. Weed should NOT be Illegal. The feds are forcing people to alcohol because pot is illegal and people have to take a drug tests for instance, to get child visitation or unemployment benefits if HB 1389 passes.
I’m trying to get away from alcohol. So it’s offensive to me that the NFL does nothing but bend over backwards for alcohol and promotes alcohol use via direct advertisements, yet cannabis is some great evil to be stamped out. These fools do not realize that there is no evil in cannabis, the only evil is the prohibition and persecution of those who use cannabis. When a government and corporations(NFL) make an entire second-class citizenry out of cannabis users this is truly appalling. This is the greatest injustice since the time when African-Americans were forced to ride at the back of the bus and persecuted for the color of their skin. It is a personal choice to use cannabis or not. It is not a harmful choice either, people should not be hunted down like dogs and thrown into a prison cell for making the wiser choice and using the safer substance which is cannabis.
@Rhayader – thanks dude. Did you read the article from Steve Fox on Alternet.com? there’s some good follow up posts there as well.
ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…. oh yeah ha ha
times are changing and it is important not only to say what you have to on posts and blogs through out the internet but to the individuals you encounter so that we break a astigmatism that has been incorporated in our society by Harry J. Anslinger, look him up, by opening peoples minds and not with basic facts but with persuasion and crushing their arguement. We have to be well informed and not use a comparision to alcohol BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT THE SAME DRUG or we have to start protests in as many city’s as possible refusing to buy anything from industry’s with the exception of food you cook at home because through out history our government has not herd they saw our reaction to them saying no to us the people
nice reference to the worst book ;]
Funny you mention Percy Harvin in the article. The guy suffers from migraines, and it seems the longer he is in the NFL abiding by their insane prohibition of cannabis, the worse his migraine problem seems to be getting. I suspect cannabis played an effective role in controlling his migraines. Ironic how the NFL’s stance to “protect” players from marijuana could be making them ill.
Great point, Vikes! I was thinking the same thing when I read about his migraines. I am sure the NFL is allowing him to take some pharmaceutic drug, which undoubtedly has more potentially troubling side effects than marijuana. It is all so absurd…
This is not possible but what would happen if every team member across the u. s. turned in a cannabis positive piss test? Cool.
LET’S BE REAL ALL OF US POT SMOKEING AMERICAN’S HAVE ALL TRYED POT AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER ! AND WE ALL HAVE KNOWN SOMEONE WHO SMOKES !!? I AM SURE THAT SOME OF US HAVE BEEN HONEST AND TURNED IN OUR DIRTY PISS AND STOOD UP FOR OUR SELVES! AND WE HAVE FOUND WAYS TO GET PAST THE PISS TEST , SO LETT’S BE REAL ..I HAVE MONEY AND I HAVE TO STAND UP OR I HAVE TO BE SIDELINED BY A DIRTY PISS , COME ON AMERICA WE ALL WANT TO LIVE FREE! SO WHY LET A PISS TEST STAND IN THE WAY ,I CAN GET SOMEONE CLEAN TO PISS FOR ME AND GIVE THEM A LITTLE INCENTIVE FOR DOING IT FOR ME WE ALL ARE DRUG SAVEY AND ALL LIKE DRUGS IN ONE WAY OR ANOTHER IF YOU DRINK COFFEE, TEA, CIGGARRETTS, PIPE’S,OR DRINK ALCHOLE, DRINK ENERGY DRINKS ,WE ARE ALL TRYING TO ACHEIVE OUR HIGH!!!SO LETTS ALL BE REAL AND GIVE FOLK’S BACK THERE FREEDOM TO PUT INTO THERE BODIES WHAT THEY WANT!! AND FUCK NFL LETTS GIVE THEM ALL A PISS TEST AND SEE WHO IS ON THE FEILD THEN!! JUST THE KISS ASSES!!AND MONEY HUNGRY LIE’RS!!!
WHAT?? how is this possible!? People are able to smoke pot and still be active and even potential professional sports players? Well now that is just insane. I thought EVERYONE who smoked pot was just a stupid stoner who sat on the couch and did nothing with their lives..
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