Cannabis in sport

With the legalization of cannabis in Canada anticipated as early as summer 2018, there is a path to implementation forming. Provincial and territorial plans for oversight, licensing, sales, and distribution are beginning to create a patchwork of legislation across this country.

In the face of mounting complexity, it is important to remember that in in the world of anti-doping, the debate is not complicated. In sport, cannabis is prohibited.

Even within this simple fact, however, there are questions. How much is prohibited? What about cannabinoid derivatives? What if I need it as medicine? Why is it still prohibited? These are legitimate and important questions that athletes, their support personnel, and their families have. It is incumbent on us, those in the sport community, to answer those questions and to promote not just the conclusion – that cannabis is prohibited – but also a deeper understanding of the whys and the hows.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES), both as Canada’s anti-doping agency and the steward of True Sport in Canada, wants to enable you to answer those questions. To that end, this kit contains materials for our partners in sport, to do just that – to provide clear information on this topic to your athletes, your students, your faculty and staff, and your coaches. It is designed to help protect them from inadvertent doping violations, to encourage learning, and to optimize their opportunities for success.

Click here to read the full education kit.