For those of you who remember the poll that I put on the site a couple weeks back, this post might not be a big surprise. I had asked readers if they thought the State Athletic Commissions should allow fighters to use marijuana if the drug was legalized in the state they were fighting. Out of 24 responses, 17 of you said that fighters should be allowed to be under the influence of THC, the common chemical compound found in the drug. Only seven readers though that marijuana should still be banned even if it is legal in the state where the event is being held.
I’m sure you may already know this - the facts of drug use in MMA are still alarming. You may not know, however, that the California State Athletic Commission has suspended fighters for marijuana use almost 200% more than performance enhancing drugs like anabolic steroids. Even with all of the associated health risks with bringing smoke into human lungs, why are so many fighters smoking marijuana?
Is it for medical reasons? The Diaz brothers, made up of Nick, a welterweight, and Nate, a lightweight, are well known to be using marijuana between their professional MMA fights. Nick Diaz has made claims to be smoking the drug for medical reasons to help deal with attention-deficit-disorder or ADD. Using Ritalin is not an option for a naturalist like him, says trainer Ceasar Gracie. Diaz was slated to fight on the Strikeforce Shamrock vs. Le card against Jae Suk Lim in California, but had to pull out because the CSAC refused to let him test clean after he admitted using the drug.
So why can’t Diaz use the drug between fights without dealing with the ramifications from the athletic commissions? He’s theoretically allowed to use Ritalin if he wanted to, but he doesn’t want other unnatural drugs to enter his body. Is he being punished with the athletic commissions stepping past their bounds? Or should he cease from using marijuana if he wants to continue as a MMA fighter because of the legal repurcussions?
Apparently 70% of MMA Opinion readers think that marijuana isn’t so bad for fighters if the government says so. But should we wait for the legal system or should we start allowing natural drugs that aren’t created on a lab table in the sport of MMA? We allow lab-made supplements and some of those have supposedly gotten some fighters, like Sean Sherk, in trouble due to unstandardized testing with the different athletic commissions. So, aside from the cancer risks which have nothing to do with MMA, why not allow marijuana?
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April 8th, 2008 at 12:13 pm
Great report; I was waiting for someone to write one of these (and thank god for FightOpinion.com for the link :)-) because lord knows I am too lazy to do it myself!
“But should we wait for the legal system or should we start allowing natural drugs that aren’t created on a lab table in the sport of MMA?” - Considering our historically conservative government’s lack of research on cannabis, a green plant, straight from the earth, I can not help but feel bad for the athletic commissions for simply “following orders.” However, Diaz has a subscription, as do I, to use cannabis for medical reasons and that is a state-sanctioned law that should be upheld by the big scary corporation that promotes his fights. I understand that they do not want heat for allowing a “stoner” to fight under their auspices (CSAC) but being that he is legal they should make some special pardon, instead of disappointing fans, a star South Korean fighter, and Diaz, the promoters, and their family and friends!!!
April 8th, 2008 at 7:40 pm
>> why are so many fighters smoking marijuana?
It’s not “so many fighters” but so many PEOPLE who are smoking marijuana, all over the world, of both genders, or all ages and all ethnic groups. And the category of “people” also includes - surprise! - athletes and MMA fighters.
April 8th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
klown: Good point, but many MMA fighters abstain from drinking, eating junk food, or smoking because of the negative health effects. Shouldn’t these fighters realize the importance of keeping their lungs free of smoke if they want to be in great shape to fight in organizations like the UFC?
April 8th, 2008 at 8:12 pm
the truth is, if you’re interested in it, that there is nothing to suggest that even smoking marijuana will harm your body at all.
there is however scientific evidence that shows that yes, smoking marijuana - let alone vaporising it - does benefit your health. the reality is that the healing power of this plant has been shown to be incredible. did you know that for instance THC directly injected into brain tumors in lab rats completely eradicated the tumors?
it is also the best lung expectorant and bronchial dilator known to man. so in fact if anything it should be banned on the basis of being performance enhancing as it is scientifically proven to improve your stamina and endurance while high.
so really it shouldn’t be banned for use by anyone, anywhere, for any reason. in fact, it should be used by everyone, everywhere for any reason. everyday.
April 8th, 2008 at 9:09 pm
occmsrazr if it is such a positive thing why is it illegal?
April 8th, 2008 at 9:40 pm
occmsrazr: You’re a funny guy. I’ll stick with the years of proof that says inhaling smoke increases your chance of lung cancer. If you want to inject THC directly, go for it!