247Rumors

The NCAA is set to make a change to their drug testing procedures, specifically relating to their marijuana testing. The NCAA plans to reduce the testing threshold and the news rules will go in to motion in August. Previously, the marijuana threshold that triggered a positive test was fifteen nanograms per milliliter of blood. The new number will be to five nanograms. Changes in the thresholds are being made to more accurately determine marijuana usage among student-athletes. According to the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sport, they will also be pushing for lesser punishments for positive marijuana tests because they do not consider the drug to be a performance enhancer. Punishment for a positive test is currently a full season, but the hope is to reduce the suspensions to half a season. "The CSMAS recommendations are a step forward in drug testing and education," said NCAA Chief Medical Officer Brian Hainline. There is no good scientific evidence that marijuana is a performance-enhancing drug, and it makes both scientific and philosophical sense to treat marijuana usage by student-athletes differently than anabolic-androgenic steroid use. We want to deter use, but it is also our moral responsibility to try to change the behavior of student-athletes who may be abusing street drugs such as marijuana." That change would not go into effect until 2014.