The UFC and the United States Anti-Doping Agency announced a significant change to the UFC’s anti-doping program.
The updated rules in effect as of January 1 will no longer punish athletes who test positive for marijuana, specifically THC (11-nor-9-carboxy-tetrahydrocannabinol), which is the main psychoactive ingredient in the drug.
Previously, athletes were tested only for marijuana in competition around a fight, but there were limit levels in place and a positive test above that limit resulted in a doping violation. Now, according to the new rules, fighters will no longer be punished for giving positive results for marijuana, unless “more evidence demonstrates that the substance was ingested for the purpose of improving performance.”
“It really is, like everything we do with this program, it’s based on science,” UFC vice senior health and performance vice president Jeff Novitzky told MMA Fighting. “Especially in the pandemic era, we had all these problems with fighters and last-minute fights and then ending up with positive marijuana results in competition and we always followed that – ‘when did you use it?’ It always happened that the use was days, if not weeks, from the fight.
“I have always been interested in this and put pressure on some of these changes, but it definitely accelerated our look at the subject. I think the main thing that guided this decision was a report that the Department of Transportation prepared for Congress a few years ago ”.
A report submitted to Congress in 2017 called “Marijuana Impaired Driving” sought to explore how police officers should deal with drivers who would potentially be stopped under the influence of marijuana.
Perhaps the report’s most significant finding stated that, unlike blood alcohol levels, which could more easily determine a driver’s disability, there was no set number that could show the same for marijuana – “in contrast to the situation with alcohol, someone may show little or no disability at a level of THC at which another person may show a greater degree of disability. “
“What science shows is that there are so many variables with the levels of THC in the urine or blood that there is really no scientific correlation between that number and the damage,” explained Novitzky. “This is really the only thing we are concerned with in fighting an anti-doping perspective is disability.”
Previously, the UFC had a limit set at 180 ng / ML and a positive drug test above that limit in competition constituted a doping violation. As the Department of Transportation report showed, there was really no standard limit that could prove that a person was harmed as a result of using marijuana.
The UFC is now updating the anti-doping program rules to reflect a more modern approach to dealing with athletes who use marijuana.
“There is simply no science to maintain that any number correlates with disability,” said Novitzky. “So this is why we think it necessary to add that extra tip to the ‘is there any real evidence of disability?’ I think it will be very good. “
USADA officials echoed the same thoughts about program updates after doing additional research on marijuana use in athletes.
“As you may remember from last year, we listed a category of ‘substances of abuse’ that included cannabinoids and we continue to do research on the causes of positive tests and performance improvement benefits,” said the senior manager of USADA UFC and Premier Sport Ryan Carpenter to MMA Fighting.
“In a significant number of cases involving cannabinoids, we found that the presence of THC was residual and did not provide any performance improvement benefit or impairment in the levels found.”
With regard to cases where a fighter can still be punished for marijuana for using it as a performance-enhancing substance, Novitzky gave an example of how it could potentially come into play.
“It is inherent that improving performance would mean that you are harmed by marijuana,” said Novitzky. “That you are under the influence. Therefore, we are making the leap so that, if you are under the influence, there is some performance improvement benefit.
“The scenarios that I could imagine would be a fighter appears on the night of the fight in the locker room, they have bloodshot eyes, they smell like marijuana, they are rolling or a distant look. There is evidence that they recently used marijuana, I think it would qualify as the performance improvement factor because they are actively handicapped in a fight. “
An important caveat to the updated UFC anti-doping program is that athletes will still be tested by various athletic commissions around the world, meaning that they can still face punishment for a positive marijuana test.
For example, the Nevada State Athletic Commission still vigorously tests and punishes athletes who cross the threshold in competition when fighting in the state. Several UFC athletes faced suspensions and fines last year after testing positive for marijuana drugs.
Novitzky alerts athletes to understand that these updates to the UFC’s anti-doping program are only related to USADA, which means that a state athletic commission can still punish them for marijuana.
“We are very excited about this, but we have to moderate this enthusiasm a little bit, because I don’t want the message to reach our fighters that everything is free now,” said Novitzky. “Because they are still dealing with athletic commissions.
“We will be fighting in Nevada most of this year and they are still limited to 150 nanograms.”
Of course, this gives the UFC the opportunity to work with the same athletic commissions in the hope that updates made to USADA’s anti-doping program can help educate and also potentially facilitate changes to these rule sets.
“This is the next way that we will enter after announcing these changes,” said Novitzky. “In fact, we have already started with athletic commissions. Sharing this science with them. I had a great connection with [executive director] Andy Foster, from California, a few hours ago, letting him know what we’re doing and why we’re doing it. He showed a lot of interest.
“They are already one of the most progressive commissions on how to deal with marijuana. I think they fine like $ 100 for a positive marijuana test. They do not sanction. They do not nullify the victories. So he was really interested and excited about what we’re doing. “
Novitzky has been at the forefront of seeking change when it comes to marijuana and the UFC’s anti-doping policy, while organizations like the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) continue to explore possible updates to the banned substance list, as well as suggested threshold levels for certain medicines.
Considering the number of pharmaceutical quality drugs that are now legal for athletes to use all the time, Novitzky cannot help but sympathize with fighters who prefer to use something like marijuana.
“When I get those calls weeks after a fight, marijuana fighters say, ‘Jeff, when should I stop to make sure I’m below the level?’ Novitzky said. “Some of these stories include ‘I choose to use marijuana instead of opioids to control pain, instead of Xanax to control my anxiety, instead of Ambien so I can sleep because I get very nervous before a fight. ‘It bothered me a lot that the anti-doping rules really direct these fighters to the more dangerous drugs, the more they get from the fights.
“Because things like certain opioids, Xanax and Ambien are allowed at all times. They are not prohibited. I felt awful passing on this information to the fighters saying ‘stop the marijuana, but you are good at taking Xanax, Ambien and Vicodin before a fight.’ It’s not right. I certainly don’t think there is any argument that, although we prefer our fighters not to use drugs, on the danger scale, on the addiction scale, marijuana is far down the list of things like opioids, Xanax, Ambien. “
With the new policy that decreases the possibility of fighters being punished for marijuana, Novitzky hopes that this will be seen as further proof that the UFC wants a clean sport, but also that the promotion is willing to make the necessary changes to ensure that athletes are treated fairly while following science related to certain substances.
“We said that from the beginning and that is my main role, to be the link between the athlete and USADA”, said Novitzky. “We are always ensuring, in addition to being a truly comprehensive and gap-free program, that it is fair, that it has due process. If you look, this is the third review we have done in politics, and almost all the changes we have made have been a benefit of justice for athletes.
“This is something I will do while I am here. To make sure that I am the eyes and ears of the athlete with regard to the fairness of this program. As soon as I see something that I don’t think is fair or that science doesn’t support, we will act very quickly and change that. I think this is an excellent example of this. “