Philly 420: Attitudes toward pot use among athletes could turn corner

We in the American marijuana community lit up with sly smiles when Michael Phelps was selected to carry our United States flag at the opening ceremonies of the Rio Olympics.

We consider Phelps, who has earned the most gold medals in Olympic history, as one of our own. By no means is Phelps an activist or an advocate for marijuana legalization. Publicly, he chalked up his alleged encounters with Mary Jane as major mistakes, like so many others forced to hide their possible affection for pot.

Indeed, Phelps' casual encounter cost him dearly in 2009 after a photo surfaced of him smoking from a bong.  He stayed in swimming, but his image was no longer emblazoned on millions of boxes of Corn Flakes. The photo is forever a footnote in his career.

But times – and attitudes - have changed.  Because of shifting laws and more honesty by individuals, we are finding out that consuming marijuana might be more common among top-level athletes than once thought.

The discovry comes at a time when fans of almost all sports are still dealing with decades of performance enhancing drug scandals. In that context any stigma associated with marijuana seems silly.

Yet there has been a long list of hard working athletes who have stayed away from dangerous drugs only to face harsh consequences over pot. The first case to really grab wide public attention hit after some rebels were allowed into the Winter Olympics.

In 1998 Ross Rebagliati of Canada became the first person to ever earn an Olympic gold medal for snowboarding when he won the downhill, high-speed sport of Giant Slalom. Rebagliati immediately tested positive for THC.

Olympic officials initially stripped him of the medal. But, at the time, marijuana was not on the list of banned substances. So after an immediate appeal by the Canadians, Rebagliati's medal was quickly returned.

The World Anti Doping Agency (WADA) is the drug police of sports. They cover substances and practices considered "performance enhancing" that could give an unfair advantage.

Athletes are subject to random drug tests for a full year leading up to the Olympics. Medal winners are tested immediately following events.

In 1998 the WADA testing threshold was 15 nanograms of THC per milliliter (ng/ml) of blood. That level could snare people who had smoked days, or weeks, before a competition. Rebagliati measured 17.8 ng/ml. He claimed it was from second-hand smoke.  (By the way: in Pennsylvania, you can be convicted of Driving Under the Influence for 1 ng/ml as part of a zero tolerance policy.)

In 1999 the WADA and Olympic rules changed definitively: Medals would be lost over THC.

During the London Olympics in 2012 a Judo champion from Westfield, N.J., suffered a crushing defeat, but not because of any opponent.  Rather, Nick Delpopolo fought his way up the ranks but tested positive for THC.  He was disqualified following his final match.

Delpopolo said that he accidentally ate cannabis-infused brownies at a party. He didn't give up. Like Phelps, Delpopolo is back to compete for the U.S. again in 2016.

And there shouldn't be as any problems for marijuana in Rio. There was a sudden shift in 2014 when the World Anti-Doping Agency announced that they were massively raising the testing threshold amount for THC up to 150ng/ml.

In an amazing statement WADA officials said that they were only focusing on those who used cannabis during a competition. They emphasized that using cannabis in general was not prohibited, except on the day of an event.

Moreover, they recognized that cannabis therapy and simple adult use was not illegal everywhere and was commonly used. Professional athletes are legally allowed to take steady doses of painkillers, anti-inflammatory pills and anti-anxiety medications.

Things may even go further as Canada is set to legalize marijuana. Rebagliati refined his skills on the famed slopes of Whistler in Vancouver, British Columbia. He is still based there and hopes to open a coffeehouse/dispensary in the town soon.

Rebagliati has embraced his status as the world's Olympic medal-wearing cannabis enthusiast.  He has even launched his own brand of medical marijuana called "Ross' Gold" along with a line of custom glassware.

There will be plenty of Americans watching Rio with a joint in hand and cheering Phelps.