Although the 2024 Summer Olympic Games are now in the history books, the debate over marijuana consumption among Olympic athletes is not. It will continue for the foreseeable future. But is it time to put it to rest? Is it time to start giving athletes a break? The majority of Americans think so.

A survey conducted during the Olympic games by Boca Recovery Center reveals that 63% of Americans believe athletes should not be disqualified from competition because of cannabis use. That is slightly higher than both alcohol (62%) and tobacco (60%).

In addition, 42% said the athletes should not be punished in any way for using recreational drugs apart from competition. Americans feel that what athletes do on their own time is their own business. However, 80% did say there needs to be a distinction between recreational and performance enhancing drugs, with the understanding that the latter disqualifies an athlete from competition.

The World Is Rethinking Marijuana

The debate over athletes and marijuana consumption exists purely because the world is rethinking its stand on cannabis. In the U.S. alone, more than two-thirds of the states have decriminalized marijuana consumption. Some have given the green light to medical cannabis while others have approved both medical and recreational use.

Medical cannabis is especially intriguing because of its implications for athletes. Bear in mind that the most frequently stated reason for applying for a medical cannabis card is to manage persistent pain. That is the case in Utah, where Salt Lake City’s Beehive Farmacy medical cannabis dispensary says more than 60k of the state’s 83k medical cannabis users live with persistent pain.

Olympic athletes obviously know pain quite well. They are very familiar with both acute and chronic pain. Should they have access to medical cannabis without fear of disqualification? It appears as though a lot of people believe so.

A Review of Marijuana Policy

Some athletic governing bodies have already looked at their marijuana policies and concluded that things need to change. The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) is one of them. But others have not. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has maintained its cannabis ban despite mounting pressure from other organizations.

WADA decided to keep the ban in place even after carrying out a policy review a couple of years ago. That review was requested after Olympian Sha’Carrii Richardson was disqualified from competition in 2021. Their reasoning? Marijuana consumption apparently makes Olympic athletes unfit role models.

Whether or not that is true, is it a given that Olympic athletes have the responsibility to be good role models? Because if they do, those in charge of running the Olympic games have other things to worry about – including the practice of handing out free condoms in the Olympic village. Athletes do all sorts of things most parents would never let their kids do.

Maybe the Olympics Need to Be Reviewed

It’s clear that the majority of Americans think marijuana consumption among Olympic athletes is a non-issue. But that leads to an even bigger issue: what the Olympics actually stand for. Maybe they no longer mean what they used to mean. Perhaps the Olympics themselves need a full review from top to bottom. We might just learn that they are completely obsolete.

In the meantime, expect the debate over marijuana consumption to continue even as the world prepares for the 2026 Winter Games. Undoubtedly there will be some athletes facing disqualification for recreational drug use over the next couple of years. How many will be disqualified for using either recreational or medical marijuana? We will know soon enough.