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SPORTS Tuesday 16 OcTOber 2018

Marijuana legalization in Canada won’t change NHL yet

In this Sept. 25, 2018, file photo, Devin Melnyk, a long-time
marijuana grower and a consultant with Pure Sunfarms, holds
trimmed marijuana as it comes out of a high-volume cannabis
trimming machine at a massive tomato greenhouse being
renovated to grow pot in Delta, British Columbia.
Associated Press
information available. He’s studies are done.
quick to point to studies on “I say this more talking
cannabis that suggest it about the CBD side of it,
can help people after PTSD obviously: You’d be stupid
In this Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2008, file photo, Pittsburgh Penguins’ Eric Godard, left, and Philadelphia or head trauma. And yet not to at least look into it,”
Flyers’ Riley Cote (32) fight in the first period of an NHL hockey game in Pittsburgh. he acknowledges there’s a Edmonton Oilers captain
Associated Press long way to go. Connor McDavid said.
By STEPHEN WHYNO cepted as a form of treat- behavioral health program “There’s a lot of different “When your body’s sore like
AP Hockey Writer ment. doctors. Cote estimated things that point to the fact it is sometimes, you don’t
As Riley Cote took and de- “It was so tainted for a long about half of players during that the science is now want to be taking pain stuff
livered countless punches time,” Ottawa Senators for- his NHL career from 2007- backing it up,” Cote said. and taking Advil all the
over more than a decade ward Matt Duchene said. 2010 used some sort of can- “There’s probably billions time. There’s obviously bet-
of junior and pro hockey, “And now people are start- nabis for medicinal purpos- of anecdotal stories, but ter ways to do it. ... You’re
he was eager to avoid ing to learn a little bit more es, though players suggest those don’t mean anything seeing a lot of smart guys
painkillers. about it and there is defi- use in hockey currently is unless it’s backed by sci- look into it. You’re seeing
Early on, marijuana was nitely some positive uses to lower than the population ence, unless it follows the a lot of really smart doctors
touted to the enforcer as a different elements of it.” at large. order of the way it’s sup- look into it. If all the boxes
healing option. The NHL and NHL Players’ More than two dozen U.S. posed to be.” are checked there and it’s
“I started noticing some Association plan no chang- states allow marijuana use Bettman contends the safe and everything like
therapeutic benefits,” Cote es to their joint drug-testing for a variety of ailments, mainstream medical com- that, then I think you would
said. “It helped me sleep, policy, under which play- but the federal govern- munity has not concluded maybe hear them out.”
helped with my anxiety ers are not punished for ment has not approved it that cannabis prevents or The possibility of experi-
and general well-being.” positive marijuana tests. It is for any medical use. Some heals injuries, and said an menting with cannabis ex-
Now a handful of years into the most lenient approach players have already done argument could be made tracts is more possible in the
retirement, Cote is a pro- to cannabis by any major research into the benefits to the contrary. NHLPA Ex- NHL than for players with
ponent of cannabis and North American profes- of tetrahydrocannabinol ecutive Director Donald the NBA’s Toronto Raptors
its oils as an alternative to sional sports league.”The (THC) and cannabidiol Fehr said it’s a subject that or MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays
more addictive drugs com- Substance Abuse & Behav- (CBD) oils. There’s a curi- is “at best in its infancy and because of the regulations
monly used by athletes to ioral Health Program for de- osity about whether mari- is going to develop over in those sports.
play through pain. Mari- cades has been educat- juana could one day re- time.” In the NBA, a second posi-
juana can be detected in ing players on using drugs, place or limit painkillers like “What we feel was an im- tive test carries a $25,000
a person’s system for more legal or illegal,” Commis- oxycodone, even if players portant element is at least fine and each subsequent
than 30 days, is banned sioner Gary Bettman said. aren’t yet ready to make educating the players bet- test a suspension of five
by the World Anti-Doping “That process will continue that leap. ter on the current marijua- games, then 10 and so on.
Agency without a specific and we will consider what “There’s not a lot of sci- na landscape both from a In baseball, a player on
therapeutic use exemption changes, if any, in our pro- ence out there yet in terms legal and illegal perspec- a 40-man roster could be
and is illegal in much of the gram have to be made. But of long-term effects,” said tive and what’s permitted fined up to $35,000, while a
United States. right now, we think based Winnipeg Jets center Mark and not permitted,” Dep- player not on a 40-man ros-
Canada on Wednesday on the educational level Scheifele, who is still on uty Commissioner Bill Daly ter is subject to a 50-game
will become the largest and what we do test for the fence about cannabis said. “But also ‘What are suspension for a second
country in the world to le- and how we test, at least use for medical reasons. “I the products out there?’ positive test and 100 for a
galize recreational mari- for the time being, we’re think it’s something that still because there’s probably third.
juana. That means it will be comfortable with where needs to be thought really publicly a great miscon- A Raptors spokeswoman
available under the law in we are.” clearly about in terms of ception of what marijuana said it’s business as usual
seven more NHL cities (it’s While the NFL and NBA can understanding the long- is, how it’s used, what it’s for the team because the
been legal to adults in Den- suspend and MLB can fine term effects.” used for to what the reality new laws in Canada don’t
ver since 2012). The move players for multiple marijua- Through his Hemp Heals is.” change NBA drug policy.
is a step forward for those na infractions, only a signifi- Foundation and work with Players who aren’t yet edu- Blue Jays general manag-
who, like Cote, believe cantly high amount of the Lehigh Valley University in cated about marijuana are er Ross Atkins also largely
marijuana has been stig- drug found in NHL/NHLPA Pennsylvania, Cote is do- willing to ask around about deferred to the league
matized and should be ac- testing triggers a referral to ing his part to increase the potential benefits as more office.q