Cape Town – South African sportsmen and women show “worrying” levels of marijuana use, according to the South African Institute for Drug Free Sport.

“Marijuana was only placed on the banned substance list in January this year,” Daphne Bradbury, chief executive of the body, told reporters.

“What we have found is that there are a high number of cannabis users among athletes across the board in South Africa.

“Although marijuana is not considered performance enhancing, it is considered dangerous to the athlete’s health and it also contravenes the ethics of sport.”

Bradbury would not reveal exact figures or names.

“About 1,4 percent of all athletes we tested failed drug tests,” Bradbury said. “What athletes don’t realise is that marijuana stays in your system for up to three weeks.”

According to new World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) regulations athletes face a maximum ban of two years for marijuana use.

Various sporting bodies in South Africa have dismissed the findings, saying marijuana use is not a widespread problem.

Athletics South Africa (ASA) chief executive Banele Sindani told reporters: “There has not been one positive test for the use of marijuana among athletes under ASA’s jurisdiction.”

Raymond Hack, the South African Football Association’s (Safa) chairman of the anti-doping committee said: “I’m certainly not worried about an increase in marijuana use.

“Over two and a half years we have had six cases of doping failure and only some of those have been linked to cannabis.

“And we haven’t had a positive test for over a year now.

“World governing body Fifa have reviewed our anti-doping policy and hold it in high regard. It is arguably the best in Africa.”

This article was originally published on July 13, 2004

Source: Independent Online (IOL)
URL: http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=6&click…/p>