"NCAA promoting drugs is crazy";"Going downhill quick"-Fans react as governing body removes Cannabis from banned list of drugs

Fans recently expressed their reaction towards the NCAA following the association's decision to remove cannabis from the list of banned drugs. The controversial decision was announced after the voting held on Wednesday, June 26, 2024.

The sweeping decision will be implemented in all sports, including swimming, track and field, and gymnastics. The association highlighted that cannabis lacked performance-enhancing properties. The decision also allowed the players penalized for cannabis use to resume competing.

The Chairman of the NCAA Division 1 Council, Josh Whitman, opened up the reasons behind the decision, stating that cannabis did not provide any competitive advantage.

"The NCAA drug testing program is intended to focus on the integrity of competition, and cannabis products do not provide a competitive advantage. The council’s focus is on policies centred on student-athlete health and well-being rather than punishment for cannabis use," Whitman said.

Several fans reacted to the decision, with one fan highlighting the NCAA's rapid downturn and writing:

"Bruh ncaa going downhill QUICKKKK"

"NCAA promoting drugs is crazy," dissented another fan.

Another fan criticized the decision along with NIL, which allowed the student-athletes to gain profit, and wrote:

"Give student-athletes tons of money through NIL and now make weed legal. Good job, we’re watching kids get destroyed right before our eyes."

One of the fans suggested the national collegiate association had higher standards for the student-athletes and wrote:

"And this is the problem. God forbid we should have higher standards for our young athletes."

Here are a few other reactions:

"Smh 🤦‍♂️ they don’t care about our youth."

"It’s just getting out of control at this point."

List of NCAA athletes who secured the 2024 Olympic spot in track and field events

With only 20 days left for the 2024 Paris Olympics, a few national collegiate athletes punched their tickets for the world's glorious sporting events in multiple sports, including swimming, gymnastics, and athletics.

Around 13 collegiate athletes secured the Olympic spots after winning multiple events at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials, the list of which is given below:

Heath Baldwin (Michigan State): Men's Decathlon
Salif Mane (FDU): Men's triple jump
Aaliyah Butler (Georgia): Women's 400 meters
Rachel Glenn (Arkansas): Women's high jump
McKenzie Long (Ole Miss): Women's 200 meters
Nico Young (Northern Arizona): Men's 10,000 meters (10K)
Juliette Whittaker (Stanford) - Women's 800 meters
Grace Stark (Florida) - Women's 100 meter hurdles
Jasmine Jones (Southern California - USC): Women's 400 meter hurdles
Brynn King (Roberts Wesleyan): Women's Pole vault
Jaida Ross (Oregon): Women's Shot put
James Corrigan (BYU): Men's Steeplechase
Veronica Fraley (Vanderbilt) Women's Discus

About the author

Janhavi is a Sports Management graduate working as a US Olympics journalist at Sportskeeda. She emphasizes meticulous research and fact-checking before creating content, relying on multiple sources including social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter, as well as various sports publications.

She has competed in the 10m Air Rifle Shooting event at the national level alongside renowned athletes such as Anjali Bhagwat, Apurvi Chandela, and Anjum Moudgil, which further fueled her passion for the sport.

Abhinav Bindra is her favorite Olympian, and she particularly cherishes his and Neeraj Chopra's gold medal victories as they revolutionized Indian athletes' mindset towards achieving sporting excellence.

If given the opportunity to introduce a new sport to the Olympics, she would choose American Football for its widespread appeal and intense competition. Apart from reporting on the latest news in the world of Olympics, she likes to immerse herself in reading, painting, and traveling.

Know More

Edited by Neha