Issue date
All illegal recreational drugs are prohibited in sport during competition and, if athletes use them, they are taking a huge risk.
If they are drug tested and something like cannabis is found in their system, they could face a ban from all sport. Although some recreational drugs are not considered ‘performance enhancing’, using them violates the spirit of sport.
It’s important for athletes to recognise that social drugs can be detrimental to one’s health and sporting performance, and can result in a positive test much later (some drugs like cannabis can take many weeks to leave the body).
For a substance or method to be prohibited, it must meet two of the following three conditions:
- The substance or method has the potential to enhance, or does enhance performance in sport.
- The substance or method has the potential to risk the athlete’s health.
- The World Anti-Doping Agency has determined that the substance or method violates the spirit of sport.
Visit www.drugfreesport.org.nz or call 0800 DRUGFREE for more information.
