DOES THE CIS HAVE A WIDESPREAD DRUG PROBLEM?

HAMILTON - University athletes have become the outlaws of amateur Canadian
sport.

The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, a federally funded agency
that oversees drug testing for Canadian athletes, has seen a dramatic
rise in positive tests in the past few months, and pot-smoking
students from Nova Scotia to British Columbia are to blame.

Since the inclusion of marijuana on the CCES banned substances list in
January 2004, eight Canadian Interuniversity Sport athletes have
failed drug tests - this after only 30 positive tests were recorded
among all university athletes from 1990 to 2003.

"The CCES has dealt with a large number of adverse analytical findings
for athlete use of marijuana since the beginning of 2004, when
cannabinoids were added to the WADA prohibited list," said Jeremy
Luke, senior manager of the CCES doping control program.

With approximately 5,000 tests administered to varsity athletes since
1990, the positive rate hovered around 0.6 per cent for 13 years. From
October to December 2004, that positive rate increased by 500 per
cent, as three per cent of CIS athletes tested failed.

"The problem is seen mostly in Canadian Interuniversity Sport. . .our
message is simple: athletes should not risk their sporting careers
through cannabis use," Luke said.

This is where Luke raises an interesting point, and a highly debated
issue among administrators and athletes: are athletes risking anything
by using cannabis? Now that it is a banned substance, they surely risk
the embarrassment of a positive test, but should it be banned?

"The (World Anti-Doping Agency) forced our hand," said Joseph de
Pencier, director of sport services for the CCES, in an interview with
the Silhouette last year.

"While we do not view cannabis as performance-enhancing, it's contrary
to the spirit of sport," said de Pencier.

In order to encourage honest and open dialogue, the Silhouette
conducted an anonymous poll of varsity athletes at McMaster
University, and drew interesting responses concerning testing for marijuana.

"I don't think we should be tested for it; it's not
performance-enhancing in any way, and we're not professional athletes
who are looked up to," one athlete said.

"If we want athletics to be taken seriously in this country, we should
be tested. Whether it's performance enhancing or not, it's still an
illegal substance," another athlete said.

"Perhaps if hot dog or pie eating contests were CIS sports, then I
could see the arguments for it being performance testing," a former
OUA all-star said.

"We have to accept the rules that are given to us," de Pencier told
Canada.com in January. "We perhaps would like to see a little more
flexibility on stuff like this that is not so central to the fight
against doping."

It is surprising that de Pencier wants more flexibility, given that
the CCES already punishes athletes who test positive for marijuana
with a meagre warning and reprimand. However, his desire to further
loosen the rules speaks volumes about Canada's actual attitude toward
marijuana use.

While some countries, led by the United States, pushed for the
inclusion of marijuana onto WADA's banned substances list, Canada
objected to it being added.

The CCES's push for more flexibility comes from the requirement they
publicly report all anti-doping rule violations. CIS chief executive
officer Marg McGregor maintains she and the CIS have doubts about the
requirements of a press release.

"We certainly have questioned, is it really necessary to do a media
release, because there is the public embarrassment, and potentially it
has some impact on the career choices of student athletes who might
have wanted to go into law enforcement or law school or whatever,"
McGregor told Canada.com. "Now if you just Google their name, up would
pop up a cannabis infraction."

A perfect example would be Ivan Birungi, a star wide receiver for
Acadia University. Birungi tested positive for marijuana at the
Atlantic University Sport semi-final on Nov. 6, 2004. In addition to
the national press release detailing his positive test, Birungi, who
scored 11 touchdowns during the season, also had to forfeit his
all-Canadian status based on testing positive for a substance that
CCES executives admit is "not performance enhancing."

Most McMaster athletes who were surveyed said that the press release
is counter-productive.

"I don't think embarrassing the athlete publicly is the answer. Most
people at the very least have experimented with weed in their lives,
whether it's an athlete, a regular student or our parents. It seems
hypocritical to point out the athletes in the public," one athlete
said.

While the CCES may cringe at forced punishments, as long as cannabis
is on the banned substances list, de Pencier said he hopes the
warnings and press releases will have a "deterrent effect" on athletes.

A recent McMaster survey found that 54 per cent of athletes polled had
used marijuana in the past year.

"I'd say that around 50 per cent of the athletes here at Mac have
smoked in the last year," one athlete said. "I know that 90 per cent
of the guys I hang out with do. And I'd probably say 60 or 70 per cent
of my team does."

One athlete said that - regardless of the embarrassment - the
punishment wouldn't reduce consumption.

"For the average athlete, I don't think it will have any effect," the
Marauder said. "The only way to reduce it is to increase the chances
of getting caught, not to increase the penalties."

As an organization like the CIS has more serious issues, such as
funding, to deal with, many athletes at McMaster question the
resources being put into testing.

"I'm not sure if it costs more to include testing for marijuana, but
if it does, that money could definitely be spent better elsewhere,"
said one athlete from a smaller, struggling sport.

"The way the World Code and the (banned) list treat cannabis is not
quite right," de Pencier told Canada.com, "and we intend to continue
pursuing that issue internationally. But it takes a lot of time and
money to do this and maybe in the fight against doping, that shouldn't
be the priority."