California Athletic Commission on medical marijuana
The California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) has announced their official position on medical marijuana use regarding kickboxers, boxers and mixed martial arts fighters today. Their decision was to uphold their previous ban on marijuana use by fighters.
This decision was based on the California Supreme Court's ruling in the case of Ross vs. RagingWire Telcomm. The court "ruled that the Compassionate Use Act did not legalize marijuana use per se, but merely provided a defense to criminal charges under certain circumstances." The announcement from the CSAC continued to explain that there is still the possibility of abuse even if the user carries a medical marijuana card, so employers still have the right to pursue disciplinary action on employees who get high.
Many top MMA fighters and other professional athletes have tested positive to marijuana in drug tests including Diego Sanchez, Nick Diaz and Ricco Rodriguez. Diaz was scheduled to fight on Strikeforce in August against Jay Hieron. He was quoted in the Los Angeles Times as saying, "I'm happy to get loaded, hear some good music . . . I remain consistent. And I have an easy way to deal with [the drug tests]." He failed to show up to his pre-fight drug test and the fight was called off.
