Sports and Medical Cannabis

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is the largest governing body in college athletics. The NCAA regulates all aspects of cannabis and sports when it comes to athletics among 1,100 schools in the United States.

It also organizes the athletic programs for over 500,000 collegiate student athletes. Part and parcel to their governance of collegiate sports athletics is the NCAA’s responsibility for maintaining the integrity of competition by conducting drug testing procedures for student athletes under their purview. On June 26, 2024, the NCAA sports removed cannabis from its banned drugs list for Division I college football championship and post-season. This decision has significant legal and policy implications that extend beyond the realm of collegiate athletics. Arguably, this decision is a part of the evolving public perception of marijuana.

Sports and Cannabinoids: A Break-Up or A Love Story

II. NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports Signaling

Illicit drug and performance-enhancing drug testing is no stranger in the world of sports. Drug testing is utilized to safeguard the integrity of the competition by ensuring that no competitor is utilizing an unfair advantage. Each NCAA member university has their own unique drug testing policies and standards; the NCAA regulates drug testing during the post-season – cannabanoids have been included as a banned substance at both the individual and NCAA level.

In September of 2023, the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS) recommended that each of the three divisional governance bodies introduce and adopt legislation that would remove cannabinoids from the list of NCAA banned drug classes. The rationale for considering the change was largely informed by the December 2022 Summit on Cannabinoids in College Athletics and includes the consensus opinion that cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug and that a harm reduction approach to cannabis is best implemented at the school level. Additional rationale included:

i. Focusing on testing for substances that provide an unfair advantage by enhancing athletic performance.

ii. Shifting toward a harm reduction philosophy for cannabis, similar to the approaches taken with alcohol.

iii. Realigning toward institutional testing and how that testing supports/enhances campus efforts to identify problematic cannabis use.

iv. Educating student-athletes on the health threats posed by contemporary cannabis and methods of use.

v. Identifying and explaining relevant harm reduction/mitigation strategies to those student-athletes who choose to legally consume cannabis.

vi. In addition to the policy and testing changes, CSMAS also signaled its support for the development of a comprehensive communication and education campaign that provides guidance to the membership about cannabis.

Meanwhile, some colleges such as the University of Southern California are moving forward with integrating cannabis into their brand.

As the first official partnership for the category in collegiate athletics, fans can officially witness Cookies integration within USC football, men’s and women’s basketball and on athletics digital channels. Additionally, exclusive Cookies promotional items and on-site tailgate experiences will also be available at select events throughout the year.

With the decision to open this category, it was our goal to find the right partner for USC Athletics, and we did just that with Cookies. Cookies is the global leader in CBD but also an innovative brand deep in lifestyle culture and wellness,” said Drew DeHart, vice president and general manager of USC Sports Properties, a branch of Playfly Sports. “We are excited for the Trojans to be a leader in collegiate athletics on and off the field, and today’s announcement continues to showcase just that.