UFC Formally Removes Marijuana From Banned Substances List For Professional Fighters

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced on Thursday that it is formally removing marijuana from its newly modified banned substances list for athletes, building on an earlier reform.


While UFC says it is modeling its list of prohibited drugs after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)—which has controversially maintained cannabis as a banned substance—it is making amendments “based on historical findings (i.e. marijuana removed from the prohibited list).”


Professional fighters have already been largely protected from being penalized over testing positive for THC under a policy change that UFC adopted in 2021, but now it is removing cannabis as a banned drug altogether.



UFC Formally Removes Marijuana From Banned Substances List For Professional Fighters - Marijuana Moment

SB85 said:

The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) announced on Thursday that it is formally removing marijuana from its newly modified banned substances list for athletes, building on an earlier reform.


While UFC says it is modeling its list of prohibited drugs after the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA)—which has controversially maintained cannabis as a banned substance—it is making amendments “based on historical findings (i.e. marijuana removed from the prohibited list).”


Professional fighters have already been largely protected from being penalized over testing positive for THC under a policy change that UFC adopted in 2021, but now it is removing cannabis as a banned drug altogether.



UFC Formally Removes Marijuana From Banned Substances List For Professional Fighters - Marijuana Moment

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Does this actually matter if they get rid of USADA when the contract runs up next year?

At that point it will be up to commissions anyway.

Tolerance Break said:

Does this actually matter if they get rid of USADA when the contract runs up next year?

At that point it will be up to commissions anyway.

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This move will lead to more figthers being open about smoking weed and business partnerships inside of that industry. The Diaz brothers were already open as hell about their smoking and etc. The UFC is going down the trend of other orgs like MLB and NBA and soon the NCAA were cannabis use is accepted as normal

SB85 said:

This move will lead to more figthers being open about smoking weed and business partnerships inside of that industry. The Diaz brothers were already open as hell about their smoking and etc. The UFC is going down the trend of other orgs like MLB and NBA and soon the NCAA were cannabis use is accepted as normal

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I'm still skeptical, but only because they so rarely do anything good for their fighters.

It looks like their fishing for good press because the anti trust monopsony lawsuit is gaining traction.

Tolerance Break said:

I'm still skeptical, but only because they so rarely do anything good for their fighters.

It looks like their fishing for good press because the anti trust monopsony lawsuit is gaining traction.

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I agree, these corporations never do things unless it benefits them.