The legalization of marijuana in Canada will not change the NHL _ yet
The legalization of marijuana in Canada will not change the NHL _ yet
When Riley Cote took and delivered countless punches for more than a decade of junior and pro hockey, he was eager to avoid painkillers.
Early, marijuana He was promoted to the executor as a healing option.
"I started noticing some therapeutic benefits," Cote said. "It helped me sleep, it helped me with my anxiety and my general well-being".
Now, after a few years of retirement, Cote is a champion of cannabis and its oils as an alternative to the more addictive drugs that athletes commonly use to play through pain. Marijuana can be detected in a person's system for more than 30 days, is prohibited by the World Anti-Doping Agency without a specific exemption for therapeutic use and is illegal in much of the United States.
On Wednesday, Canada will become the largest country in the world to legalize recreational marijuana. That means it will be available in accordance with the law in seven other NHL cities (it has been legal for adults in Denver since 2012). The step is a step forward for those who, like Cote, believe that marijuana has been stigmatized and should be accepted as a form of treatment.
"He was so contaminated for a long time," said Ottawa Senators Matt Duchene. "And now people are starting to learn a little more about the subject and there are definitely some positive uses for the different elements."
The NHL and the NHL Players' Association do not plan changes to their joint drug testing policy, according to which players are not punished for positive marijuana tests. It is the most lenient approach to cannabis by the major professional sports leagues in North America.
"The Substance Abuse and Behavioral Health Program for decades has educated players about the use of drugs, legal or illegal," said Commissioner Gary Bettman. "That process will continue and we will consider what changes, if any, should be made in our program, but at this moment, we think about the educational level and what we do the tests and how we do it, at least for the time being. , we feel comfortable with where we are. "
While the NFL and the NBA can suspend and the MLB can fine players for multiple marijuana infractions, only a significantly high amount of the drug found in the NHL / NHLPA tests causes a referral to physicians of the health program of the behavior. Cote estimated that approximately half of the players during his career in the NHL from 2007 to 2010 used some type of cannabis for medicinal purposes, although players suggest that the use in hockey today is lower than the general population.
More than two dozen states in the US UU They allow the use of marijuana for a variety of diseases, but the federal government has not approved it for any medical use. Some players have already investigated the benefits of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) and cannabidiol (CBD) oils. There is a curiosity to know if marijuana could replace or limit analgesics such as oxycodone, even if the players are not ready to make that leap.
"There is not much science yet in terms of long-term effects," said Mark Scheifele, center of the Winnipeg Jets, adding that he is still on the medical cannabis barrier. "I think it's something that still needs to be thought clearly in terms of understanding the long-term effects."
Through its Hemp Heals Foundation and work with Lehigh Valley University in Pennsylvania, Cote is doing its part to increase the information available. It quickly points to studies on cannabis that suggest it can help people after post-traumatic stress disorder or head trauma. And yet, he recognizes that there is a long way to go.
"There are many different things that point to the fact that science is now backing it," Cote said. "There are probably billions of anecdotal stories, but those do not mean anything unless supported by science, unless it follows the order in which it is supposed to be."
Bettman argues that the main medical community has not concluded that cannabis prevents or cures injuries, and said that it could be argued otherwise. The NHLPA Executive Director, Donald Fehr, said that it is an issue that "is in its infancy and will develop over time."
Before the imminent legalization of Wednesday in Glen, the league and the union opted for education about policy changes.
"What we think was an important element is, at least, to better educate players in the current marijuana landscape, both from a legal and illegal perspective, and what is allowed and not allowed," said Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. "But also 'What are the products that are there?' because there is probably a big misconception of what marijuana is, how it is used, what reality is used for ".
Players who have not yet learned about marijuana are willing to ask about possible benefits as more studies are done.
"I say this talking more about the side of the CBD, obviously: it would be stupid not to see it at least," said Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid. "When your body is sore as sometimes, you do not want to be taking the pain and taking Advil all the time, Obviously, there are better ways to do it ... You are seeing many smart guys who are investigating it." "You are seeing a lot of really smart doctors who are investigating you, if all the boxes are marked there and it's safe and all that, then I think you might hear them."
The possibility of experimenting with cannabis extracts is more possible in the NHL than in the players with the Toronto Raptors of the NBA or the Toronto Blue Jays of the MLB because of the regulations in those sports.
In the NBA, a second positive test carries a $ 25,000 fine and each subsequent test a suspension of five games, then 10 and so on. In baseball, a player on a list of 40 players could receive a fine of up to $ 35,000, while a player who is not on a list of 40 men is subject to a suspension of 50 games for a second positive test and 100 for a second test. a third.
A spokeswoman for the Raptors said things are common for the team because the new laws in Canada do not change the drug policy of the NBA. The Blue Jays general manager, Ross Atkins, also differed largely from the league office.
"Major League Baseball does a good job of educating players throughout the game at risk in and around that," Atkins said. "It's a complex situation that is very personal, I would need more information to say whether we would tolerate it or not."
For now, marijuana is technically a banned substance as a drug of abuse in the NHL. Cote would love it if the marijuana was removed from the NHL / NHLPA tests to open the doors and accept it widely, although players say that the culture of hockey will take years to receive such a change, if it ever would.
"I played in Colorado, where it was legal for a while and I thought it was going to change society a bit, and it did not," Duchene said. "I do not think it's going to be as big a thing as people might think."
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Baseball writer AP Ron Blum, basketball writer AP Tim Reynolds and freelancer Ian Harrison contributed.
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Follow hockey writer AP Stephen Whyno on Twitter at https://twitter.com/SWhyno
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More NHL AP: https://apnews.com/tag/NHL and https://twitter.com/AP-Sports
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