The World Anti-Doping Agency considers that cannabis use violates the «spirit of sport».»

Members of a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) expert panel say that the cannabis use by athletes violates the «spirit of sport», making them unfit models whose impaired faculties could endanger others.

In an editorial published in Addiction, several members of WADA's Prohibited List Expert Advisory Group summarized the reasons why WADA decided to continue banning the use of cannabis by athletes at competitions last year, as more and more voices called for the policy to be abandoned.

Views are «divided» on the question of if cannabis «enhances or has the potential to enhance athletic performance,» they write. The group also acknowledged that athletes have reported that cannabis benefits them by «facilitating recovery and reducing pain».

But in the end, they declared that cannabis use in competitions violates ethical standards, which justifies the ban.

Specifically, the editorial states that cannabis consumption runs counter to the «spirit of sport», which «encompasses a number of universal values of sport, with four aspects particularly relevant to the cannabis discussion remaining on the list».

Here are the factors that AMA representatives believe apply to cannabis, quoted directly from their document:

• Excellence in performance: could be compromised by cannabis use during the competition period
• Character and education: the «model» aspect is not compatible with the use of a substance that is still illegal in most parts of the world.
• Respect for rules and laws: the use of this substance is against the law in most countries of the world and, in some cases, against the rules of the Anti-Doping Organization.
• Respect for self and other participants: the well-being and safety of other participants may be compromised by the impaired judgment associated with the presence of cannabis in a competing athlete.
• The group also stated that there was a broad consensus within WADA on another criterion for inclusion in the list of prohibited substances, which concerns the «real or potential risk to the athlete's health».»

They noted that cannabis can lead to physical impairment, as well as possible psychiatric symptoms, and that its use during adolescence can inhibit cognitive development. The members determined that «the potential of cannabis use to compromise the health and safety of the athlete justifies the application of this criterion».

If AMA has decided to maintain the ban on cannabis following a one-year review at this time last year, the editorial points out that the international organization introduced further reforms concerning cannabis, notably by increasing the amount of THC that can be present in an athlete's urine to take account of consumption outside competitions, which is not prohibited by WADA rules.

«Because of these high thresholds, it is mainly chronic and frequent cannabis users and athletes consuming high doses in competition who will be detected. Therefore, the threshold will generally not affect an athlete's freedom to legally consume cannabis outside of competition,» the group said. «Athletes who require cannabis-based medical treatment should apply for a therapeutic use exemption.»

WADA was strongly urged to adopt a reform after the American racer Sha'Carri Richardson has been suspended from participating in the Olympic Games following a positive THC test in 2021.

Following this suspension, the US Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) declared that the international rules on cannabis «had to change», The White House and President Joe Biden himself have indicated that it's time for new policies, and congressional lawmakers have amplified this message. So far, so good.