Thanks to residents of the Silver State who voted to legalize marijuana during the last election cycle, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) will begin scrutinizing the very real possibility of removing marijuana consumption as a punishable infraction.
Sure to please the likes of the Diaz brothers, the Nevada State Athletic Commission voted unanimously last week in favor of moving forward on a study that could potentially eliminate the harsh penalties handed down by the commission to fighters who choose to include cannabinoids as part of their pre-fight ritual.
According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the NSAC agreed unanimously last Friday to begin examining the removal of the psychoactive flower from their list of prohibited substances. Potentially joining the UFC, who discarded their penalties for pot consumption in 2013, the NSAC has historically handed down excessive penalties for fighters who test above 150ng of THC.
In limbo until a mid-Spring vote, the NSAC’s current regulations will remain in effect until the commission has adequately studied the “not-so-chronic” rule.
Concerned by Nevada’s new state law and the public perception that the NSAC is not “keeping up with the times,” the chairman of the Nevada State Athletic Commission noted:
“At this time, I have no interest in the medical or non-medical benefits whatsoever of cannabis. What I am interested in as the chairman of the (NSAC) is to bring this to the attention of the commission that there may be, and there may not be, a potential conflict now of our state law as it pertains to our NSAC (regulations).”
Mindful that marijuana is hardly a PED (performance-enhancing drug), the UFC’s Dana White expressed outrage at the NSAC mystifying rules and regulations.
“I do not think the penalties should be the same for smoking marijuana as it is for taking performance-enhancing drugs, yet it is. It’s exactly the same. Look at how long Nick Diaz is out right now for marijuana, it’s the same as a guy who’s taking steroids. It’s crazy, so the whole system is messed up.”
While some guesstimate approximately 80% of fighters in the UFC currently choke down fists full of performance-enhancing drugs, it’s individuals like the Diaz brothers that seem to get the lion’s share of unwanted attention from the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
Source:
Monterey Bud
www.marijuana.com
