UFC drug czar on the problematic question most commonly asked of him

The UFC has a cannabis problem, and it’s not fighters using it. 

Social attitudes towards marijuana use are rapidly changing in the USA, with a large number of states decriminalizing and legalizing it, and just this week recreational use becoming legalized nationwide in Canada.

USADA, the administrator of the UFC Anti-Doping Policy, does not test for recreational drugs out of competition. However, specified substances, such as marijuana, alcohol, or cocaine, can result in a minimum one-year suspension for a first offense. The idea is that recreational drugs you do on your own time are your own business, but you shouldn’t fight high.

The allowable limit set by most state athletic commissions used to be 50 ng/mL, with some going as low as 15 ng/mL. Many ACs have moved the level to 150 ng/mL, bringing it in keeping with World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) standards. USADA uses 180 ng/mL.

But WADA added marijuana to the list of prohibited substances in 2003, after being pressured to do so by the USA.

From a sports perspective, I was rather ambivalent [toward marijuana], stated Richard Pound, an attorney who was WADA’s initial head and continues to serve on the Foundation Board. As we morphed into WADA, the USA was very keen to have it included.

The prohibition shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

That was in 2003, and the attitude in the USA has changed radically since, but the prohibition remains. The UFC had a massive PED problem, and USADA has done a remarkable job of solving it. MMA doesn’t have a massive demon weed problem, and USADA shouldn’t be trying to solve it, based on politically-motivated rules from a different era.

Right now I just cannot believe that a performance enhancing drug and marijuana can be treated the same, said UFC Vice President of Regulatory Affairs Marc Ratner. It just doesn’t make sense to the world anymore and it’s something that has to be brought up.

That was three and a half years ago.

This week UFC vice-president of athlete health and performance Jeff Novitzky spoke recently with The Canadian Press about the issue.

“It’s probably the most-asked question that I get among our roster of fighters,” said Novitzky. “‘If I’m a regular user of marijuana, how long do I discontinue before my competition to ensure I’m under the 150 nanograms?’ And that is one of the toughest questions I have to answer. I really don’t have a good answer for anybody because each individual varies in terms of how they metabolize things in our systems.”

Novitzky’s advice is to cease using cannabis, which is legal for recreational use all across Canada, in the largest US state, and many others, about a month out. That’s not stopping fighters from fighting high. That’s high.

Since January 1, cannabidiol (CBD), which as no psychoactive effects, is no longer prohibited. Some studies suggest that CBD is beneficial as well for traumatic brain injury.

“I’d say the overwhelming majority of our fighters use it,” said Novitzky. “(They) express to me that they get great benefits from it.”

Novitzky used to carry a gun as an agent for the IRS and the FDA. He doesn’t believe in drugs. 

“That being said, I’m also aware that our fighters do suffer from certain conditions, be it pain, inflammation, anxiety for a fight coming up, inability to sleep,” he said. “Having come from the law enforcement world and investigating a lot of cases regarding prescription drugs, I’m aware of what the side effects are for a lot of these drugs out there — sleep aids, obviously opiates for pain control. Even over-the-counter stuff that can combat inflammation is processed through the liver and kidney. Everything I know about marijuana and CBD can treat a lot many of those issues without a lot of those side effects.”

It is time for USADA and state commissions to stop testing for marijuana, and focus on preventing issues that are killing fighters like the culture of extreme weight cutting, rather than preventing things that help fighters, like cannabis.