According to our friends at Middle Easy, Keith Kizer, the head of the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC), announced that the commision has officially raised the testing threshold of marijuana metabolites from 50 ng/mL to 150 ng/mL which represents a 200% increase. Insert Nick Diaz joke here. It never gets old.
NSAC raises the testing threshold of marijuana metabolites by 200%!
This is a big deal because for the longest time weed was considered a performance-enhancing drug, however, over the last two years, it appears some commisions have reexamined this ridiculous ideology. Apparently, Zeus at Middle Easy had a thirty-minute conversation with Keith Kizer a few days before today’s announcement about this very subject. The usually tough Kizer supposedly softened on the subject which is great news for a lot of fighters who actually partake in a little puff, puff from time-to-time. Maybe it had a lot to do with UFC officials deciding to raise the testing threshold for marijuana metabolites from 50 ng/mL to 150 ng/mL – a mark the World Anti-Doping Agency also recently deemed sufficient.
What really is unfortunate are UFC fighters like Nick Diaz, Pat Healy, former employee Matt Riddle, and the list goes on, who were punished not only by a commision but also by the UFC for having small amounts of marijuana in their system. In fact, Riddle and Diaz were both card carrying medicinal marijuana holders and they were still ostracized and slapped silly. Although many felt the rules were archaic, including Dana White, the UFC had no problems flexing their muscle instead of standing up at the time for what has been a rather unpopular regulation. There is no doubt the UFC has to follow the rules set forth by the commisions, but in the end did they have to take money out of fighter’s pockets? IE: Pat Healy who ended up losing $130,000 in bonus money after his great performance at UFC 159. Dana White explained and tried to defend what seemed to be an overreaction by the organization.
It’s f–king illegal. You can’t do it, it’s a banned substance. Should it be? I don’t necessary think so, I don’t think it’s performance [enhancing],” he declared, his voice rising. ” [But] it doesn’t give a **** what I think! It doesn’t matter! It’s a banned substance. Every fighter knows that you go in, and you use marijuana, and you get caught, you’re busted. Now the commision‘s going to come in — they took that fight away from him — and he’s going to get fined by the commision. He wasn’t eligible for that bonus.
In the end the UFC has changed their stance and so has the NSAC, but for Healy that money isn’t coming back, Nick Diaz isn’t going to get a year back of his MMA career, and Matt Riddle will probably continue to fight in other organizations outside of the UFC. However, today’s progress at the NSAC is great news. It will be interesting to see what other commisions follow suit.
Now excuse me as I light a joint in celebration.
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