US Congress pushes for marijuana protections for athletes in new spending bills

Through Jelena Martinovic

Cannabis has never been more accessible. With its popularity skyrocketing, many professional athletes have spoken openly about their use of marijuana.

Megan Rapinoe, Olympic gold medalist, two-time women’s soccer world champion and 2019 FIFA World Player of the Year, previously told Benzinga that she had ventured into cannabis in search of a “healthier, more natural option for pain management, sleep aid, relaxation while flying and general Recreation.”

Photo by Mike Stobe/Getty Images

RELATED: It’s time to acknowledge the reality of THC in pro sports

However, it appears many of her peers have been penalized for using cannabis, including US sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who made international headlines in 2021 after being banned for a month after testing positive for THC.

To address the growing problem, U.S. Congressional lawmakers added a new section to the appropriations legislation covering funding for multiple federal agencies for fiscal year 2023, along with countless other marijuana regulations, Marijuana Moment reported.

The move by leaders of the House Appropriations Committee aims to urge international officials to “change the treatment of cannabis” to end the practice of banning athletes from competition after they test positive for cannabis.

The recently released expenditure accounts and accompanying reports relate to spending packages for the Financial Services and General Government (FSGG) and the Departments of Labor and Health and Human Services (HHS) and Education.

Now the committee is asking the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), which administers the anti-doping program for all sports recognized by the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committees, to take action.

RELATED: NCAA announces lenient guidelines for cannabis use among collegiate athletes

“The Committee encourages USADA to support additional research on the effects of cannabis on athletic performance, including whether in-competition marijuana use has performance-enhancing effects, and to advocate for a change in the treatment of cannabis at the World Anti-Doping Code and Prohibited List of the World Anti-Doping Agency,” says the committee’s report.

This article originally appeared on Benzinga and has been republished with permission.

Post a comment:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *