That’s right, the days of testing positive for weed and losing a season are now as outdated as flip phones. About five months after the NCAA’s Division I Council floated the idea, the change has been adopted, with the association noting that marijuana isn’t a performance-enhancing drug—unless you’re trying to win a snack-eating contest, of course—and should be treated just like alcohol.
This decision builds on a 2022 update that raised the THC limit for college athletes, bringing NCAA rules in line with those of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA). The new rule isn’t just a free pass for future infractions—it’s retroactive. So, any players currently benched for a weed-related violation can lace up their cleats again and get back in the game.
“The NCAA drug testing program is intended to focus on the integrity of competition, and cannabis products do not provide a competitive advantage,” said Josh Whitman, chair of the council, in a press release. Translation: puffing a joint won’t turn you into an Olympic sprinter (though, it might help you chill after a tough game). “The council’s focus is on policies centered on student-athlete health and well-being rather than punishment for cannabis use,” Whitman added.
The NCAA also shared on social media that “cannabinoids will be addressed like other non-performance enhancing drugs like alcohol,” and that the focus will be on harm-reduction strategies for those struggling with problematic cannabis use. In other words, the goal is to promote student-athlete health, not bench them for a single mistake.
This reform comes on the heels of a recommendation from the NCAA’s Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports (CSMAS) last June. The committee urged all three NCAA divisions to ditch cannabis from their banned substances list. While Division I has officially taken the plunge, Divisions II and III are still waiting to vote—hopefully, they’ll catch up soon.
“Slowly, surely, America is coming to its senses after 50 years of the failed war on drugs,” said Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus. He also pointed out that the NCAA’s decision is particularly timely, considering U.S. sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson just qualified for the 2024 Olympics, after being controversially barred from competing in 2021 for testing positive for THC. “Common sense is finally prevailing,” Blumenauer quipped, likely with a sigh of relief.
In the past, a positive test for marijuana during postseason play could cost college athletes an entire season of eligibility. The new rules shift the focus to helping athletes with problematic use rather than punishing them for a one-time slip-up. When the NCAA formally recommended this policy shift last September, they admitted that the old policy of banning and testing for cannabis just wasn’t cutting it. They affirmed that cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug and emphasized the need for a harm-reduction strategy instead of outdated punishments.
Other sports organizations have been making similar moves. The NFL, for example, agreed in 2020 to stop suspending players for marijuana use and has even invested in researching whether CBD could replace opioids for pain management. Meanwhile, the UFC recently pulled marijuana from its banned substances list—though some state commissions, like California’s, still impose THC limits based on WADA guidelines.
Nevada, however, is getting ahead of the game. Last year, sports regulators in the state voted to send a proposed amendment to the governor, which would protect athletes from being penalized for using marijuana in accordance with state law.
So, the tide is clearly turning. With more sports leagues and organizations giving cannabis the green light, it seems like we’re entering a new era—where the only thing athletes will get benched for is their actual performance, not what they’re doing in their downtime.
