League clamps down on cannabis

[ng_1981]

I think its the non pot smokers that come out and act self righteous. All pot smokers want to do is be left alone and not told what they can or cannot do.

I'm sure most people who participate in illegal activity don't want to be told what they can and cannot do!

Leaving the legalities out of it, if I've paid to go and see my team play football, I'm there to see them play their best. If they are knowingly taking a performance reducing drug then we as fans are the ones being ripped off. I don't care whether it's the clubs or the NRL who clamp down on it, but I think clubs and fans deserve to know they are seeing the best in their players. I'd be just as p**sed off if I found out one of my players had spent the night before a game on the drink or even if they'd spent the night playing their Playstation and got no sleep!

When I was younger I got warned about turning up to work after spending a night clubbing and looking back I don't blame them. They pay me to do a job and I was doing something, in my own time, that was hampering my performance at work.

I do think that a one year ban for a first offence is a bit rough, though. Perhaps a one game suspension and some counselling for a first offence.

 

[ibeme]

I saw my old PE teacher from high school recently recently. I hadn't seen him since I left school in 1991. Then, he was 20's-30's, fully fit with a bulky athletic physique.

I didn't recognised him until someone mentioned his name. His eyes were sunken. He was scrawny and half the size he was fifteen years ago. He seemed to be operating on delay, and looked old and drawn out. It's a small town, so I asked my mate what happened to him, and he just said that the pot did it.

I also have a relative who's been a regular user for probably twenty years. His brain is scrambled. He suffers from paranoir among other things.

Anyone who thinks the stuff is harmless is fooling themselves.

Why add to the problems that grog already creates in society?

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Its the NRL's house and the NRL's rules. Everyone's clear on them now so no-one is in the dark.

The players can do what they want, but expect no favours if you get caught.

I'm 100% behind it. You only have to think back to the days of Scott Wilson & co to realise how bad it makes the sport look in some peoples eyes. After all the dramas that caused, the NSWRL/ARL led the way in Australian football codes for testing and penalties for use of recreational drugs. Now, the NRL doing all it can to protect itself from any further bad press over similar instances.

They aren't cheezel-munching playstation-heads, they are professional athletes who, if they take any recreational drug, adversely affect their performance, and (if caught) the reputation of the club/game.

 

[macavity]

how many bongs you chug a day?

:roll:

yeah, I know the facts about Marijuana so I must be shooting resin into my eyeballs....

.....and is that wheelchair meant to say something?

yeah it does, I busted two discs at work and am having a discectomy next month.

d*ckhead.

Jesus people....do some research before blindly wading into a thread.

WORD.

try www.erowid.org for starters. A site my criminology lecturer sent his class to, very good resource.

 

[dontmakemeangry]

I think you will find that Mark Geyer’s (Claytons) suspension was covered up. Roy Master’s was attacked for uncovering it,

on the contrary, i think you will find he copped a 8 game suspension, and was the first "named" first grader to be bought down, and so he f**ken should have!

 

[Thomas]

Look, I'm not saying smoking pot is good for you. I'm not saying its not a problem with some people. I smoke pot and I know its illegal. I also know my limits and I know when to say no. To put call all pot smokers a burden on society and social misfits is a bit rich considering the number of people in Australia who have or still smoke the stuff.

To get back on point.

I'm saying a 2 year ban is a bit harsh when you look at the problems alcohol has on the game. I have no problem with clubs testing for it and fining or suspending a player. Hell, they are the players employer and have invested a lot of money into them so they should be able to test for drugs. I just think the punishment dished out by the NRL is a little harsh, all things considering.

And I agree with the comments about people wanting to see their clubs players at their best. So do I. But I really think that there are much much bigger problems out there than players smoking pot. Again...I don't condone the act. Each to their own.

As I said, I think there should be a ban on all drugs for NRL players.....alcohol included. Alcohol does more damage to the game than all the other drugs put together and then some.

 

[Blind Freddy]

2 years is too harsh. Grog has caused alot more damage to Rugby League's image and provides the root of alot of problems in society...I'm willing to say even more than what pot has or will ever do.

That's where the leagues crackdown needs to be. Maybe if our players had smoked as much as they drank there would be much less controversey because the players would be too busy stoned at home with the munchies and in bed earlier being well behaved boys.

But too much of anything for the body is a bad thing. And elite athletes shouldn't be on any narcotics/substances alcohol included. Afteralll isn't that part of their job? to be fitter healthier humans than the rest of us just for our entertainment and $$$.

I know I'd certainly give up drinking if i had to for my job and i was paid what their salaries are.

 

[Cockadoodledoo]

2 years is too harsh. Grog has caused alot more damage to Rugby League's image and provides the root of alot of problems in society...I'm willing to say even more than what pot has or will ever do.

That's where the leagues crackdown needs to be. Maybe if our players smoked as much as they drank there would be much less controversey because the players would be too busy stoned at home with the munchies and in bed earlier.

But too much of anything for the body is a bad thing. And elite athletes shouldn't be on any narcotics/substances alcohol included.

I agree entirely.. The knuckleheads who whinge about people smoking pot amazes me.. The fact that people who smoke it everyday have frazzled brains is a mute point because those who get pissed everyday suffer the same problems if not more so..

Anyone who thinks that having the odd joint everynow and then, say once a month is going to cause more problems than getting pissed once a month is having themselves on..

The only difference is one substance is illegal and the other not so.. So that is why the analogy that I think Macavity drew about the NRL not suspending players for other illegal activities is a fair one..

For all those who are taking the higher ground on the issue, think about this.. Craig Gower received NO suspension from the NRL for what he allegedly did whilst on the piss, yet someone having a couple puffs on a joint could cop a one year suspension. Where is the fairness in that?

 

[simon says]

On a positive note.......if they bar the footy players form having any,it leaves more for the rest of us.

Nothing like a little puff before going to the footy.:lol:

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

As I said, I think there should be a ban on all drugs for NRL players.....alcohol included. Alcohol does more damage to the game than all the other drugs put together and then some.

Agreed it has been the cause of many of leagues public relations problems but to ban it entirely - aint ever gonna happen, and shouldn't happen.

Firstly, obviously - Drugs Illegal, Alcohol Legal

Secondly - Take drugs, get stoned, pingin' etc. The only alternative is to get really stoned etc by taking more. Additionally, depending on amount & regularity of consumption - drugs remain in the system anywhere from 24 hours up to 3 days minimum (for one-off use, more if multiple/regular) depending on the substance. This means that the player is still impaired to some degree for that time.

Alcohol can be consumed "responsibly", ie you dont automatically get drunk. Alcohol can be consumed in responsible levels. Obviously a big smashup session will mean the impairment will last longer.

The NRL has also taken measures, along with individual clubs, to educate/inform players of their responsibilities in regard to social behaviour, including alcohol consumption. It can be argued they've been too harsh on occasions (Trent Barrett doing pushups ring any bells), but the line has been drawn regardless.

 

[Thomas]

Alcohol can be consumed "responsibly", ie you dont automatically get drunk. Alcohol can be consumed in responsible levels. Obviously a big smashup session will mean the impairment will last longer.

Yes, but you can say the same about pot. People can have one or two tokes and not be fried out of their brain. Moderation is the key. I probably smoke once or twice a week (maybe a bit more on a weekend) and I wager I am doing less damage to my brain and body than the graduate who just started who gets flogged on rum and cokes every friday and saturday night.

Anyway...we seem to agree......

 

[macavity]

This means that the player is still impaired to some degree for that time.

nope. THC can remain in the body for months as it is fat soluble. however it does not effect the THC receptors for anywhere near that long, typically 3-8 hours.

 

[Bring back John Fifita]

Yes, but you can say the same about pot. People can have one or two tokes and not be fried out of their brain. Moderation is the key. I probably smoke once or twice a week (maybe a bit more on a weekend) and I wager I am doing less damage to my brain and body than the graduate who just started who gets flogged on rum and cokes every friday and saturday night.

Anyway...we seem to agree......

Yeah, in principal we agree. The only thing I don't agree is banning alcohol. No doubt you do less damage than the pisspots downing rivers off the stuff at the local on a friday night, but less than the person who has 2 or 3 a couple of times a week.

I'm no wowser, done it all besides hard drugs (and plenty of it). But I agree with zero tolerance policy here because of the damage it can cause the club, the game, and equally the player themself (more by reputation than anything). Scott Wilson, Craig Field, Kevin McGuinness are a few examples.

Hypothetically, lets say you follow a club that has been playing average, players are down on form, and lose a few games. A key player then tests positive to marijuana. He says it makes no difference to his performance because he's only taken it once (as most say after testing positive, whether that's true or not is another story). How would the average fan of that club feel???

If it were my club, I'd want the guy punted right there and then.

 

[Raider_69]

2 years is abit stiff... anything from 6 months to a year would be sufficent imo
but a good move, drugs can not be condonned.

And anyone who says its harmless has had a realative hang themselves from paranoia due to excessive pot smoking. Its a blight on society.

 

[hrundi99]

For all those who are taking the higher ground on the issue, think about this.. Craig Gower received NO suspension from the NRL for what he allegedly did whilst on the piss, yet someone having a couple puffs on a joint could cop a one year suspension. Where is the fairness in that?

Perhaps not everyone who is taking the "higher ground" think that Gower's treatment was appropriate.

You can't treat one problem based almost entirely on the way another one is treated.

 

[sunny]

2 years is abit stiff... anything from 6 months to a year would be sufficent imo
but a good move, drugs can not be condonned.

And anyone who says its harmless hasn't had a realative hang themselves from paranoia due to excessive pot smoking. Its a blight on society.

Finally some common sense. The way some of these pot-pushers carry on about drug taking these days, you'd think every person in Australia did nothing but sit around and take take drugs all day with no side effects whatsoever, and that those that didn't take drugs were all no-lifers living in monasteries. Add that to their sanctimonious carry on about alcohol, and it's just a bloody insufferable mix.

 

[Thomas]

Finally some common sense. The way some of these pot-pushers carry on about drug taking these days, you'd think every person in Australia did nothing but sit around and take take drugs all day with no side effects whatsoever, and that those that didn't take drugs were all no-lifers living in monasteries. Add that to their sanctimonious carry on about alcohol, and it's just a bloody insufferable mix.

Pot-pushers? Drugs are bad mmmkay. Mate, the 80's called, they want their lingo back.

I haven't seen anyone here calling non-drug takers that. Each to their own. The only difference with pot smokers and drinkers is that one is legal the other is not. Thats not what this debate is about...its about the severity of the punishment handed down by the NRL.

 

[Green Machine]

on the contrary, i think you will find he copped a 8 game suspension, and was the first "named" first grader to be bought down, and so he f**ken should have!

No on the contrary, you got it horribly wrong:

True Blue
The Story of the NSW Rugby League
By Ian Heads
1991

Rugby League administrators had to wrestle with problems once never contemplated. Widespread drug testing was now a costly but integral part of the game. One such test pitched the league, yet again, into the headlines after the tumultuous 1991 season had ended. In an exclusive story in The Sydney Morning Herald the journalist and former coach Roy Masters revealed the Penrith giant, one of the game’s highest-profile players, had tested positive to marijuana and had been suspended for eight games. Other league journalists had chosen not to write the story. The NSW Rugby League would neither confirm nor deny Masters’ report, but its appearance sparked yet another media debate as to whether the League should or should not be testing for a “recreational” drug such as marijuana.


What do you class as games? A World Club Challenge match, World 7’s matches, Pre Season Competition matches?

 

[Manu Vatuvei]

lol @ someone called "Green Machine" posting in this thread.

 

[Cockadoodledoo]

2 years is abit stiff... anything from 6 months to a year would be sufficent imo
but a good move, drugs can not be condonned.

And anyone who says its harmless has had a realative hang themselves from paranoia due to excessive pot smoking. Its a blight on society.

Sorry to hear about that but I think the point people are saying is that it is relatively harmless in moderation, much like drinking.. consuming excessive quantities of alcohol over a long period of time can be just as destructive as pot smoking..