Marijuana Use Shouldn’t Disqualify Athletes From The Olympics, Americans Say In New Poll

Two in three Americans feel that Olympic athletes should be able to use marijuana without facing penalties—a higher percentage than those who say the same about alcohol, tobacco and psychedelics, according to a new survey.

With the Olympics underway in Paris, the treatment center Boca Recovery Center commissioned a poll finding that 63 percent of respondents agreed that athletes who use cannabis should not be disqualified from performing, compared to 62 percent for alcohol, 60 percent for tobacco, 27 percent for psilocybin and 20 percent for LSD.

Overall, 42 percent of Americans polled said that athletes shouldn’t be punished for using recreational drugs on their own time. Another 26 percent said disqualification should depend on the type of recreational substance and 32 percent said drug use of any kind should be a disqualifying factor.

More than 80 percent of respondents agreed that there should be a distinction between recreational and performance enhancing drug when it comes to athletic qualification in the Olympics.

This gets at a longstanding debate, with international organizations such as the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) maintaining the cannabis ban, even as institutions such as the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) push for reform.

Just this past week, USADA CEO Travis Tygart said it was “disappointing” that WADA has maintained the cannabis prohibition based on what he considers a misguided justification.

“I think we should all just be open and upfront about marijuana’s lack of performance-enhancing benefits,” Tygardt said. “We’re not in the recreational drug policing business. We’re here to prevent fraud in sport and cheaters in sport.”

In the new survey, which involved interviews with 1,000 American adults, respondents were also asked about the reasons they disagree with disqualifying Olympians over recreational drug use.

Fifty percent said “smoking in a personal choice,” while 46 percent said the penalty is “too harsh” and another 46 percent said personal habits “should not affect participation in the Olympics.” Other reasons include a feeling that there should be a lesser penalty (33 percent) and such recreational substance use doesn’t affect a team’s overall performance (33 percent).

WADA did carry out a review into its marijuana policy at the request of USADA and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) following the controversial suspension of U.S. runner Sha’Carri Richardson, who was barred from participating in the Olympics in 2021 after she tested positive for THC. Richardson said she used cannabis to cope with the recent passing of her mother.

USADA said at the time that the international rules on marijuana “must change.” The White House and President Joe Biden himself also signaled that it was time for new policies and congressional lawmakers amplified that message.

But following the review, WADA determined that cannabis would continue to be designated as a prohibited substance, arguing that marijuana use by athletes violates the “spirit of sport,” making them unfit role models whose potential impairment could put others at risk.

Several members of WADA’s Prohibited List Expert Advisory Group also penned an editorial in the journal Addiction last year defending their decision.

As more states have moved to legalize cannabis, sports organizations at multiple levels have worked to enact reform.

For example, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) recently voted to remove marijuana from its banned substances list for Division I players.

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced in December that it is formally removing marijuana from its newly modified banned substances list for athletes, also building on an earlier reform.

However, ahead of a UFC event in February, a California athletics commission said they could still face penalties under state rules for testing positive for THC over a certain limit, as the state body’s policy is based around WADA guidance.

Nevada sports regulators voted last year to send a proposed regulatory amendment to the governor that would protect athletes from being penalized over using or possessing marijuana in compliance with state law.

While the NFL and its players union agreed to end the practice of suspending players over marijuana or other drugs as part of a collective bargaining agreement in 2020, it has continued to fine players over positive THC tests—a policy that’s being challenged in federal court by one player who was repeatedly penalized over his use of a synthetic THC medication he was prescribed to treat anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and pain.

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