This past week has seen a number of developments in the field of cannabis and sports. XFL, an alternative American football league, decided that it would no longer test for cannabis use in its athletes. Soon after, the MLB announced that it would no longer test its minor league athletes for cannabis use.
Well, apparently the MLB saw its third-base coach swinging their arms and signaling it to go for home because it has announced a retooled version of its Joint Drug and Prevention Treatment Program that will remove cannabis from the list of banned substances.
The XFL and MLB have now joined the ranks of the NHL in a tier of sports organizations that are choosing to approach the issue of drug use in its athletes from a position of health and wellness rather than penalization. The general shift in approach caters to ensuring the health of professional athletes by offering treatment programs to athletes who are struggling with substance abuse instead of dishing out fines and suspensions.
The MLB’s new drug testing policy introduced multiple changes to the way the league will approach drug use. While cannabis left the list of banned substances, opioids joined it. This change likely comes at the heels of an MLB tragedy involving the overdose death of Tyler Skaggs.
Skaggs was a pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels and was found dead in his hotel room in July. His death was caused by a combination of fentanyl, oxycodone, and alcohol. His death triggered a conversation regarding the use of pain killers in the MLB, as well as in other professional sports leagues.
A Changing Perspective
The NHL started a trend by announcing its new approach to drug use among its athletes. They were very vocal about their intentions to shift their approach in the name of protecting their players, and it seems as though other leagues heard them.
The XFL’s decision to not include cannabis in its drug-testing protocols puts it in stark contrast with it’s larger, more popular cohort, the NFL. The NFL has yet to make any changes to its approach to cannabis.
Now, with the MLB making its recent announcements, it would seem that there is a change coming within professional sports regarding their views and approaches to cannabis use. The NHL, XFL, and MLB have now set a precedent. The NFL will reexamine its drug testing policies in 2020, and NBA officials are voicing a tentative willingness to reexamine the NBA’s policies relating to CBD.
Only time will tell, but it seems that there is more than enough room to have some optimism regarding the future of cannabis in the realm of professional sports.
