UFC women’s bantamweight champ Ronda Rousey took the opportunity at a press conference in Melbourne today to speak out against the Nevada State Athletic Commission’s five-year suspension and $165,000 fine against Nick Diaz for marijuana.
“I’m sorry, no one asked my anything (about this) but I have to say something,”Rousey stated. “It’s so not right for Nick [Diaz] to be suspended for five years for marijuana. I’m against them even testing for weed at all. It’s not a performance enhancing drug. It has nothing to do with athletic competition. It’s only tested for political reasons. … There’s no reason for them to be testing for weed. … I don’t think marijuana should be part of the conversation at all. I think it’s an invasion of privacy for them to test for it and they have no right.”
Rousey is the second high profile individual from the UFC to speak out in as many days. Yesterday, longtime UFC color commentator Joe Rogan called the NSAC’s ruling an “irresponsible abuse of power” and argued that there was no scientific proof showing marijuana as a performance enhancer.
Watch the champ speak her mind about marijuana use in the video below:
Marijuana use should be REQUIRED for all professionals in: MMA, boxing, football, hockey, rugby, and other sports where regular concussions or head trauma occurs. The NSAC and other commissions, UFC, fighters, managers, trainers, and even sports writers should strongly lobby for the right of these athletes to protect themselves and use/medicate with Marijuana for their own safety and mental health.
We have all heard of professional football players who have developed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), as a result of concussions. Also recall the numerous retired boxers who have
various brain disorders.
We should take into account just a few current reports (google): 1. ABC News; THC like drug helps brain injuries 2. Harvard psychiatrist says weed heals concussions 3. Marijuana heals brain after head trauma 4. New Study; Cannabis may help heal brain after injury 5. Fox News 6/6/13; Study, Cannabis may help prevent brain damage.
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