NASCAR Continues Campaign Against Marijuana, Suspends “Spotter”
Once again, the top brass at NASCAR have taken a stand against marijuana users. Yesterday, officials for the racing organization suspended crewmember and former driver Randy LaJoie indefinitely after he tested positive for marijuana. The test was not to make sure that he could be a driver, but that he could be a spotter. For those of you not familiar with racing, the spotter sits in the stands and relays car positions to his or her driver through a headset. Please forgive my ignorance of the details of racing, but it seems as if this is basically a professional spectator, with the enviable bonus of getting to yell at the driver.
Seriously, a drug test is required for this job.
LaJolie now joins the massive ranks of athletes and celebrities forced to apologize for using a substance safer than alcohol.
“I screwed up,” LaJolie said in an interview the day he was suspended.
NASCAR’s behavior is not that surprising. Back in March, officials waited until the last minute to deny Cannabis Planet TV the opportunity to sponsor, and place advertisements on, one of the cars. The car was allowed to race, but with different sponsors.
It seems like the world of racing is lining up against marijuana. In a recent press release, the Office of National Drug Control Policy announced the start of a new campaign with Indy 500 racer Sarah Fisher to combat drugged driving.
This is all well and good. MPP does not advocate driving under the influence of any substance, including marijuana. It just seems strange that ONDCP and the racing community would spend valuable resources targeting marijuana in light of a recent study that shows marijuana use has very little impact on driving ability.
To date, NASCAR is still on very good terms with its alcohol sponsors.
Tagged with: alcohol and driving and drug test and NASCAR and ONDCP and racing and Randy LaJolie and Research and sports and study by the author
45 comments
Nascar just lost a huge fan. I did support Dale Jr. but that has now ended. Who the fuck does nascar think they are, GOD? Last I checked it takes 30 days for cannabis to completely leave the body. There is no way a person is going to be high any longer than several hours at the most. I will not watch or spend a single penny for the nascar business. I was not angry when nascar dissallowed the cannabis painted car but this is just plain wrong. Nascar promotes drunk drivers by supporting alcahol sales. Nascar supports big pharma with viagra ads. Nascar should support cannabis because there is way way more pot smokers than race fans anyway. Can someone with an ounce of common sence tell me why would you want to shut out millions of fans because of a political issue. When nascar gets off of it’s holier than thou soap box I might watch nascar again. Sorry Jr, but your bosses at nascar can KISS MY ASS!!~!
I hope the irony of this situation isn’t lost on any one. The irony I speak of is of course, nascar’s predecessor: bootlegging . The concept of light and fast cars developed during *dun dunna dun* alcohol prohibition.
NASCAR fans are huge pot smokers…Somebody at NASCAR isn’t paying attention. They might as well come out against beer, chewing tobacco and Crispy Creme donuts….Once it gets legalized they will all change their tune…for money…we just need to remember who treated us badly….
I will no longer support or watch NASCAR. I will also advise everyone I know. Screw you NASCAR with your anti-marijuana agenda.
The job of a spotter is one of life and death decision making. The driver can not see what is along the side of him/her por what is in front if an accident occures. at speeds reaching two hundred mph there can be no excuse for the spotter to say they were influenced by some outside source. Like saying they fucked up because they were alowed to smoke weed without reprocussions. So the legalization cause is better of with them( the spotters) being tested, because like I said if there decision did result in a death and they tested positive it would be low hanging fruit for the prohibitionists. I will still watch nascar when it is on public airways. I do not have cable.
I do agree about the fact that alot of fans love the weed. I get high off the kindness of strangers every time I go to Daytona. Nascar should not disalow some sponsors because they do not agree with the message, it makes them look like a bunch of stupid rednecks that are afraid of others opinions about them. sorry i can’t spell today.
I understand the reason for testing spotters, as well as drivers and crewmembers, for substances that could affect their performance at the track. With cars reaching speeds of 200mph and the need to make split second decisions, people need to be clear headed and quick thinking. However, Cannabis use the night before doesn’t do that, alcohol does. Budweiser spends billions of dollars to convince race fans it is their duty to consume a product that is more harmful than Cannabis because Kasey Kahne says so. How many drunks leave the race and drive home or to their hotel rooms every race weekend? Remember, it use to be called the “Winston Cup”, for Winston cigarettes. Nascar’s roots are from alcohol boot leggers. Maybe one day, Nascar will use biofuel derived from industrial hemp to power their race cars! What would happen if Randy was having a hangover or nicotine fit during a race and made a wrong call for his team? Would that be considered ok and within Nascar’s rule book?
i was hoping for a link here so we could at least get in touch with nascar, and alow them to know how we feel about this subject. it wouldnt hurt to leave some ed. material in the rebutall ethier
lol how ludicrous nascar was founded on Alcohol prohibition and now they want to further Cannabis prohibition!
NASCAR only knows how to turn left, that’s why they can’t do what’s right.
NASCAR racing was derived from an outlaw spirit of smuggling by the use of high performance cars to escape from the law. Now there is an epidemic going around forcing people to apologize for their freedom.
I want them to make these people apologize for drinking alcohol. I don’t care if they didn’t rape a girl or assault someone I just care that they drink and I want an apology for them making the decision for drinking.
Also doesn’t alcohol sponsoring a driving competition send the message it is alright to drive drunk. haha
As someone who has worked in Nascar’s top 3 series,I know first hand of their skewed drug policy.I lost a job after 4 yrs of employment on one of the top teams because the management decided to perform random tests within the organization,while not doing anything about my fellow coworkers who would show up still half drunk and reeking of booze.
Nascar has become it’s own monster. They are responsible for the drug problem.When you expect people to work 80+ hours a week and then travel 36 weeks a year people get burned out and injured they tend to search for something to help them thru it.
Nascar takes 30 random crewmembers every morning when the garage area opens for random drug testing,and have gone as far to give handheld breathalyzer test to anyone they suspect has over indulged the night before.
Marijuana isn’t the problem in Nascar,it’s booze,painkillers,coke,HGH,and other performance enhancing drugs.
I have left the sport after 11 yrs because I don’t agree with the new policies…it’s not racing anymore anyway..it’s a step away from Pro wresting….Peace
Here’s a news story that Nascar managed to keep mostly on the down low..Somehow I don’t think Randy did anything near what the france family has done
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/news/story?id=4543577
http://sports.espn.go.com/rpm/nascar/news/story?id=5128838
here’s the only email address I can find for them…tell them how you feel people..
fanfeedback@nascar.com
Alcoholic sponsorship says it all doesn’t. It’s all about the money folks.
Going to boycott these idiots as well (sorry Dale Jr!). I’d imagine that as soon as it is legalized, we’ll see huge bud graphics on the cars, but even then it won’t be enough to bring me back.
Got Prohibition?
NASCAR sucked before this… Not making a difference in my life!
How can anyone watch cars go in circles?!
“How can anyone watch cars go in circles?!”
Easy, It’s just like watching the money (our taxes) be spent going in the same circle for the past 73 years. The people want it legal, they write thier representatives who ignore them because of the legal corruption (lobbying booty), maybe they do some buck passing ( to the houes/senate/congress/the big guy),nothing gets done this year cuz it’s an election year, bla,bla,bla. THEN DO IT ALL OVER AGAIN NEXT YEAR (at our expense).
They are cut from the same cloth. They only know going in circles.
[...] NASCAR cannabis policy sucks. [...]
Welcome to Florida. This should not come as a surprise to anyone familiar with this state. You have to take a urine test to get any Job, I mean any Job in this state. From McDonalds to 7-11. No exceptions. With the economy in the tank many Employers including my own, have instituted random urine tests to be able to fire employees, relieving them of the costs of unemployement benefits ect. Once you fail you are fired, no exceptions, no discussion. You are blacklisted and will probably never find another job. Just the status quo in the Sunshine State.
Until Random Testing is Outlawed, as were polygraphs, there is absolutely nothing you can do about it as a worker, since there are literally tens of thousands of people begging for jobs!
You bet NASCAR is against the sponsorship… Just imagine how some of their major sponsors (Beer, Liquor & Pharmaceutical) would react to such an sponsorship being placed on a car.
#21, have you ever heard of Viagra or Budweiser, they’re on the track already and I realize not everyone is up on NASCAR here but the only advantages to have when smoking pot is to be the business owner and forget the frustrations.
NASCAR suspended Elliot Sadler last season for testing positive for “speed” because they use cheap home testing kits, Sadler had been using decongestants and told NASCAR that, but it made no difference to them and Sadler had to go to court and sue NASCAR to get back in a car.
NASCAR has a “zero tolerance” policy for all illegal substances, and as a private entity can get away with it.
I strongly disagree with the suspension of Randy LaJoie, but it is in the contract every person signs before they are permitted to race, work for a race team or for nascar, or in anyway perform any duty.
NASCAR also has control of any sponsorship on any car participating in any race sanctioned by them.
NASCAR also has a “christian” prayer usually given by some local preacher before every event, and as a person who does not believe in the invisible sky wizard they worship I am offended by this practice.
Because NASCAR is a private entity none of it makes any difference because Randy presumably read his contract and signed it, I will send an email to NASCAR letting them know I am in disagreement with their policy.
I will not however forgo watching races because I do not forgo using other products from companies that have similar drug testing policies.
prohibition built this sport, now they are for the gov’t. they all should be banned for past violations. at least he wasn’t drinking alcohol.
only an idiot believes that urine testing for marijuana is about safety and unfortunately this country is loaded with these. Do any of these idiots advocate breath testing for alcohol upon undertaking safety sensitive functions? But there is no other way to test for marijuana impairment these idiots claim next. Bullshit! Blood is quite accurate and saliva testing comes close and is non-invasive. As long as the fan base for NASCAR is full of the above-mentioned (heavy cigarette-smoking and cheap-beer-drinking) idiots this nonsense will be aided and abetted
I am done with NASCAR until they change their attitudes toward their co-conspirators-advertising agents. Hell, to run adds that promote alcohol and Viagra and not the TREE OF LIFE. BYE BYE NASCAR!!!
Kudos to all who believe in the right to privacy as granted by our constitution; drug testing is illegal; plain and simple. If someone ‘reeks’ of beer, or looks as if they are impaired in any way, then yes, testing is paramount due to the risks involved. However, due to the lingering characteristics of certain drugs, it is beyond comprehension that someone who is legally drunk due to their blood alcohol level at testing, is the same (or more acceptable) than someone who smoked a joint the night before!
Boycotting NASCAR is the answer m’friends, it’s the only voice that logical folks have in the continuing age of insanity.
My hat is off to each of you who ‘pulls the plug’ on NASCAR.
Peace y’all!
The feds think that only 10% of us toke. But they don’t live out here with the rest of us.They live in their ivory towers and have no idea of what happens out here in the real world. The FACT is it’s more like 50% tokers in anytown in america.Only 10% will admit to it.And we can supply NASCAR with all the empty seats they can handle. There drivers are a bunch of panzy’s anyway. The last real race i saw on nascar was before they casterated their cars.
They should have half the cars going in one direction. And the other half going in the other direction.Deathmatch style. Drunk rednecks love that sort of thing.
Just because the man tested positive does’nt mean he was high at the time of the test. If it was a urine test,they are testing for what is called “metabolites” which is a by-product of THC that your body produces after pot is consumed. These metabolites can stay in your system for weeks after your last portion of the beneficial herb.
NACAR DID THE RIGHT THING!!! STUDIES HAS BEEN DONE THAT SMOKING DOES IMPARE DRIVING REACTION TIME AND THAT IS NOT A GOOD THING AT AND TIME …ESPECIALLY AT 200 MILES PER HOUR!!!!
Turn left, ok turn left again, another left, and one more left turn.
How can anyone watch NASCAR without a little herbal boost?
I never liked NASCAR, now I don’t think I’ll let another left turn joke go unnoticed.
Why does NASCAR turn left? Because there’s a wall to the right!
James #32…..get a grip & quit shouting. Also learn to read the article before spouting off… the guy sat in the stands and talked to the driver…. he was not driving… there is a big difference.
The cannabis high lasts about 4 hours, according to the DOT. That seems to agree with my empirical experience.
I think that NASCAR should encourage and even pass out pot to the spectators at the races. That might help eliminate the boredom from watching a bunch of cars driving in a circle.
This reaffirms the need for a test to determine if someone is under the influence, not just if it’s in their system. I can understand racing organizations not wanting to align themselves with weed, because driving race cars is all about having every advantage you can while behind the wheel. But the only way to change it is to show the demographics of marijuana users BUYING POWER, because like everything else in this world; it’s all about the money. If all marijuana users would unite, imagine the voting power we would have, but even I am hesitant to display a pot leaf on the bumper of my vehicle…
i cant believe what im reading but one thing for sure spirits cause one hell-o-alot of deaths due to drunk drivers than “pot heads” do get it right nascar get over the redneck ways
You can overdose on water, but not on marijuana. That is the first thing you see when you walk up to my front door. I would love to see a NORML painted race car and Jr. driving it. I fired myself as a nascar fan because of my use of med mj. I want nascar to know that cannabis is now being looked at for treating drug addicts in rehab. I want nascar to know that they a not worth watching because they have no balls. They are told what to do by industry and dirty money. They are told if they support cannabis they will loose all funding from sponsers. If I had the money of Bill Gates I would have a NORML race car driven by Jr. It takes millions to have a race team but with all the changes in cannabis reform I have an idea. Soon there should be enough cannabis companies and products from cannabis and soon hemp also, that together, could support a nascar team. It will come some day, maybe on an Indy car, never know.
I have an Idea. When America kicks out all the farm workers, the meat factory workers, the shit job doers for being hear illegally we should give those jobs to task force officers because they will need jobs after cannabis becomes legal.
Holy Smokes. We need some of that drug cartel money on the side of them cars. Follow the money. Yes, drink, get drunk, drive home. We tolerate that, but, any association with the marigawana. Youre doomed. We can on take money for erection pills and licker co. love naskar.
This is a common occurance here in the State of Florida. I live less than 3 miles from the Daytona International Speedway and EVERYONE is tested for EVERY job available. Random Testing of workers is the Norm. You can not get a job in 7-11 or McDonalds without a test.
I have tried for years to find an organization to take up the fight Nationally to Outlaw Urine testing for the fraud that it is, but to date I can find No one. I have been forced, by need of a paycheck deeply into a bottle of Crown Royal. I do not like it but I have no other choice unless I want to explain to my wife, family and children why I no longer have my job of over 12 years.
I have not missed a day of work, come in late, ect ect, but since forced randoms have begun, I can tell the difference in my ability to make it to work after crawling out of my Crown Royal haze each morning.
Its what my employer wants apparantley so its what he gets..
I work in an office environment, do nothing hazardous beyond using a stapler, drive no company vehicles, but am forced to allow my employer into my private life on his random whim.
The written policy states a failure is dismissal, no options.
When asked if I will submit to a drug test, I always respond “yes,” if the person who heads the organization requesting the test will submit to a polygraph test. I offer to pay for theirs if they will pay for mine. I also stipulate we both reserve the right to make the tests’ results public. I’ve never had a taker.
My friends have informed me, that you can take a cooler, full of your own beer to the races!! Get ripped at little cost. But you can’t toke a dubbie. This bud for you!
I find it funny how everyone is anti nascar because they are not interested in it, or do not believe that others may can enjoy it without being stupid rednecks. The same people cry like bitches when prohibitionists reflect the same attitude at couch potato stoners. Stero typs do come from somewhere, but the perpetuation of these stereotyps from this crowd is very disapointing. By the way alcohal is legal that is why every event known to America is saturated in it not just nascar. Why don’t you assholes sober up and think before you type. People DIE in any racing circut drug testing is needed, you all know not everyone is responsible eneugh to only smoke on their free time. Random drug testing lowers the outrageous insurance premiums so blame state farm!
Shesh, if ever there was a group of people who like to drink beer, it’s the guys who attend racing events.The adds about beer are prevalent through out the tv specials.One would think by now surely they know beer is much more intoxicating than cannabis .If you had to catch a ride home with someone who was drunk or some one else who was briefly stoned which would you choose ?
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