NCAA Cannabis Testing Proposal Became Policy Across All Divisions

An NCAA medical committee formally recommended removing cannabis from the organization's list of banned substances in June 2023, arguing that marijuana does not enhance athletic performance and that disciplinary enforcement belongs at the school level rather than through national testing. The Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports called for a harm-reduction approach emphasizing education and support over punitive suspensions for student-athletes who use cannabis.

The recommendation followed a December 2022 summit on cannabinoids in college sports and reflected a broader national shift toward marijuana decriminalization, with approval handled separately by the NCAA's three divisions. The move was expected to refocus the organization's drug testing resources on performance-enhancing substances where advocates argued enforcement could more meaningfully protect competitive fairness.

The NCAA subsequently removed cannabinoids from its banned drug classes across all three divisions, ending THC testing at NCAA drug testing events.

The policy change reached all three divisions, not just the biggest schools. NCAA legislation records the removal of cannabinoids as adopted in both Division II and Division III, and its Sport Science Institute told members that THC testing had ended at NCAA testing events across the association. The shift favors education and support over lost eligibility, but it does not amount to an endorsement of cannabis use. Schools carry the responsibility for local education and identifying problematic use; watch how their next athlete handbooks translate that distinction into campus policy.