FILE — A ring girl walks around the octagon during UFC Fight Night. Douglas P. DeFelice/Getty Images/AFP
The Nevada State Athletic Commission unanimously voted against disciplining boxers and UFC/MMA fighters who test positive for marijuana, the organization announced Wednesday.
This move comes on the heels of the United States Anti-Doping Agency adopting a similar stance.
“We should always be at the forefront of these issues,” NSAC chairman Stephen J. Cloobeck said in a statement. “I believe it’s warranted and merited since it is legal in this state. … I think we need to jump forward, being the leader as we’ve always been.”
The NSAC will continue testing for cannabis over the next six months for data collection purposes before determining whether to continue the practice. Any fighter who tests positive will not be punished, however.
The NSAC, however, retained the right to remove a fighter from a bout if they are clearly impaired by marijuana or alcohol.
In 2015, the NSAC voted to suspend UFC fighter Nick Diaz for five years following repeated positive drug tests for marijuana. That ban was later reduced to a year and a half after his appeal.