PARIS: Marijuana will remain on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s list of banned substances after the body on Friday rejected calls to change its status.
WADA was asked to remove cannabis from its prohibited list last year following the positive test which resulted in the American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson missed the Olympics.
World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe was among those who called for the status of marijuana as a banned substance to be reviewed.
“I think it’s not an unreasonable time to have a review,” Coe told reporters in Tokyo ahead of the Olympics. “It makes sense – nothing is set in stone. You adapt and re-evaluate from time to time.”
However, the AMA said in a statement on Friday following a meeting of the body’s executive committee in Sydney that it had decided to keep THC – the main psychoactive component of cannabis – on its prohibited list.
WADA said that for a substance to be included on the agency’s Prohibited List, it must meet at least two of the three criteria.
These include having the potential to enhance performance, pose a health risk to the athlete, and violate the spirit of sport.
WADA said it consulted with athletes who used cannabis as part of an extensive review by a team of experts that included an analysis of scientific studies on the subject.
The WADA said its expert ethics advisory group continued to view cannabis use as “against the spirit of sport”.
The agency noted that THC was only banned in-competition and the threshold for a positive test was raised to 150 ng/ml in 2013.
WADA chief executive Olivier Niggli said in a statement that the question of how to deal with THC was “not straightforward”.
“WADA is aware of the diversity of opinions and perceptions related to this substance around the world, and even in some countries,” Niggli said.
“WADA is also aware that the few requests to remove THC from the Prohibited List are not supported by the extensive expert review.
“We are also aware that the laws of many countries – as well as extensive international regulatory laws and policies – support the retention of cannabis on the List at this time.”
Meanwhile, in a separate ruling on Friday, the WADA confirmed that the powerful opioid painkiller Tramadol would be added to the prohibited list as of January 1, 2024.
The agency said it was delaying implementation of the ban for just over a year to allow for education and communication between athletes and medical personnel about the decision.
Tramadol has been banned in cycling since 2019. Colombian rider Nairo Quintana was stripped of his sixth-place finish in this year’s Tour de France after twice testing positive for the substance.
WADA was asked to remove cannabis from its prohibited list last year following the positive test which resulted in the American sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson missed the Olympics.
World Athletics chief Sebastian Coe was among those who called for the status of marijuana as a banned substance to be reviewed.
“I think it’s not an unreasonable time to have a review,” Coe told reporters in Tokyo ahead of the Olympics. “It makes sense – nothing is set in stone. You adapt and re-evaluate from time to time.”
However, the AMA said in a statement on Friday following a meeting of the body’s executive committee in Sydney that it had decided to keep THC – the main psychoactive component of cannabis – on its prohibited list.
WADA said that for a substance to be included on the agency’s Prohibited List, it must meet at least two of the three criteria.
These include having the potential to enhance performance, pose a health risk to the athlete, and violate the spirit of sport.
WADA said it consulted with athletes who used cannabis as part of an extensive review by a team of experts that included an analysis of scientific studies on the subject.
The WADA said its expert ethics advisory group continued to view cannabis use as “against the spirit of sport”.
The agency noted that THC was only banned in-competition and the threshold for a positive test was raised to 150 ng/ml in 2013.
WADA chief executive Olivier Niggli said in a statement that the question of how to deal with THC was “not straightforward”.
“WADA is aware of the diversity of opinions and perceptions related to this substance around the world, and even in some countries,” Niggli said.
“WADA is also aware that the few requests to remove THC from the Prohibited List are not supported by the extensive expert review.
“We are also aware that the laws of many countries – as well as extensive international regulatory laws and policies – support the retention of cannabis on the List at this time.”
Meanwhile, in a separate ruling on Friday, the WADA confirmed that the powerful opioid painkiller Tramadol would be added to the prohibited list as of January 1, 2024.
The agency said it was delaying implementation of the ban for just over a year to allow for education and communication between athletes and medical personnel about the decision.
Tramadol has been banned in cycling since 2019. Colombian rider Nairo Quintana was stripped of his sixth-place finish in this year’s Tour de France after twice testing positive for the substance.