Forbes MacPherson doesn’t think the legalization of cannabis will have a major impact on usage among athletes.
While the drug is legal to purchase and consume, it’s still a banned substance in Canadian sporting competitions, said the UPEI Panthers men’s hockey coach.
So the focus for his program remains the same.
“I still want to recruit driven, focused student-athletes. That has to be their No. 1 priority.”
UPEI players should treat cannabis the same as alcohol, MacPherson said.
“I have nobody under the age of 19, so they legally can consume [alcohol] on their own time.
“But we have policies and procedures, and if you break those it’s proven to me you’re not a serious student-athlete, and don’t have the same goals as our organization.”
Holland College athletics director Albert Roche says nothing will change for his school’s athletes.
“Student-athletes wouldn’t be using it for therapy because they could jeopardize their eligibility.”
Athletes who test positive for THC, the active ingredient in cannabis, could face sanctions ranging from a warning to a four-year ban, according to the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports.
But CBD, the medical ingredient, is no longer on the banned list.
So athletes who want to use the drug for pain need a medical exemption and can only use cannabis with high CBD levels.
“We would just be taking referrals from a doctor to a physiotherapist in a return to play protocol,” Roche said.
Former NHL player Riley Cote didn’t want to use painkillers for his injuries for fear of addiction, he told the Canadian Press.
So he used cannabis instead.
“I started noticing some therapeutic benefits. It helped me sleep and helped with my anxiety and general well-being.”
Cote is now an advocate for the use of cannabis in sports. He told CP about half of NHL players used it during his career, which spanned from 2007-10 with the Philadelphia Flyers.
As for MacPherson, he thinks education will be a very important piece of the conversation.
“What does a year or two or three look like, down the road? I think a lot of people would put their arms in the air and say I have no idea.”
Coaches and players will work with the university to establish a cannabis policy, MacPherson said.
“Once the initial shock value has passed us, I believe things will kind of settle in. It’ll be the new norm in society. (But) that doesn’t change our goals here at UPEI hockey.”
