Snowboarders Bummed Over New Drug Test Rules
Ever since the Michael Phelps incident there has been a lot of debate over whether or not we actually should care if athletes smoke pot occasionally. After all, it’s not exactly a performance enhancing drug, and the evidence that occasional use actually hinders anyone’s ability to achieve at a high level is spotty at best. But Phelps has brought it into the spotlight, and there will probably be increasing attention paid to athletes who choose to fire one up every once in a while.
(You really think this guy isn’t stoned all the time?)
Nowhere is a perceived crackdown on this more noteworthy than in the world of snowboarding, where it’s often assumed that the competitors are just high all the time. With the Olympics coming up next February, drug testing has begun, and it’s not exactly something that fits into their laid-back culture. After all the first gold medalist in Olympic snowboarding tested positive for pot the next day. Although, with the rules involved in testing, I’m not sure it fits into any culture, but you can judge for yourself if the demands are worth it.
