NCAA May Remove Cannabis From Banned Substances List

• The NCAA loosened restrictions on THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, last year.
• The NCAA Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports committee requests the organization stop testing for cannabis at NCAA events until a decision is made.
• The NCAA is moving toward limiting only performance-enhancing substances.

The NCAA may remove cannabis from its banned substances list this fall.

The NCAA announced on June 16 that its Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports committee is considering removing cannabis from the list after a meeting in Indianapolis to discuss whether testing should be limited to performance-enhancing substances.

All three NCAA divisional governance bodies would have to support the notion for action to happen, the NCAA said. Before then, the committee seeks support from the board of governors to stop testing for cannabis at NCAA events.

Last year, the NCAA loosened the restriction for THC, the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana, from 35 nanograms per milliliter to 150 nanograms and loosened repercussions for violating the rules.

The 2022 Summit on Cannabinoids in College Athletics led the committee to consider:

• Putting a greater focus on substances that unfairly enhance athletic performance
• Focusing on harm reduction philosophies with cannabis, like with alcohol
• Educating student-athletes on potential health threats from cannabis and how they consume it
• Identifying and explaining harm reduction/mitigation strategies to student-athletes who consume cannabis legally