The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA), an independently run organization started by the International Olympic Committee, has loosened its grip on pot smoking Olympians. Ben Nichols, a spokesperson for WADA, said raising the threshold is meant only to catch athletes who smoke during the period of a competition; the drug isn’t prohibited out of competition.
WADA voted back in May to raise the previous threshold of 15 nanograms per milliliter to 150 grams per milliliter. The decision was made in order to make failing a drug test from second-hand smoke much more difficult. This comes is the wake of more relaxed drug laws in many countries, including 14 U.S. states.
According to Allen St. Pierre, executive director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML), an athlete who fails the drug test by its new standards would have to be a “pretty dedicated cannabis consumer.”
You might remember that back in 1998, Olympic snowboarder Ross Rebagliati tested positive at 17.8 ng/ml. The positive test resulted in Rebagliati almost losing his gold medal — the first snowboarding medal in Olympics’ history.
Rebagliati has plans to open a medical marijuana dispensary in Whistler, called “Ross’ Gold.”
Related Post: Canadian Snowboarder, Who Was Stripped Of Olympic Gold For Testing Positive For Pot, Plans To Open Medical Marijuana Shop