How about that! NSAC no longer sanctioning
for marijuana. Crazy that in my tenure with UFC I’ve seen NSAC try
to suspend Nick Diaz for life for marijuana, to this. Big credit to
Exec Director Bob Bennett for spearheading this change. Just don’t
show up to fight impaired!— Jeff Novitzky (@JeffNovitzkyUFC)
July 7, 2021
Fighters competing in Nevada will no longer be punished for testing
positive for marijuana.
The Nevada State Athletic Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday
to remove marijuana from the list of banned substances in the
state. As a result, fighters will no longer face sanctions for a
positive test.
“We should be always at the forefront of these issues, and I
believe it’s warranted and merited since it is legal in this
state,” NSAC chairman Stephen Cloobeck said. “I think we need to
jump forward being the leader as we’ve always been.”
The new rule will take effect immediately, but fighters previously
facing punishment for positive marijuana tests will not be exempt.
The NSAC will continue to test athletes for marijuana for data
collection purposes for the next six months, and the commission
will then decide if it will continue collecting data.
Two fighters were suspended by the NSAC on Wednesday for positive
marijuana tests. Gillian
Robertson was suspended four and a half months retroactive to
March 27 and fined $2,000, while Misha
Cirkunov was suspened six months retroactive to March 13 and
fined $4,000.
In the past, the NAC would suspend fighters up to nine months and
be fined a percentage of their purse for positive marijuana tests
in-competition above the allowable threshold of 150 ng/ml. It
notably suspended Nick Diaz for
five years for multiple positive tests before reducing that
sanction to a year and a half following an appeal process.
The NAC ruling comes on the heels of the Florida Boxing Commission
voting to remove marijuana from its prohibited substance list
in May. Earlier this year, USADA and the UFC
change the promotion’s anti-doping policy so that fighters who
test positive for marijuana, no matter the level, would not be
found in violation of the policy.
The NAC’s ruling was met with praise from UFC senior vice president
of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky.
“How about that! NSAC no longer sanctioning for marijuana. Crazy
that in my tenure with UFC I’ve seen NSAC try to suspend Nick Diaz for
life for marijuana, to this. Big credit to Exec Director Bob
Bennett for spearheading this change. Just don’t show up to fight
impaired!