Somewhere, the Diaz brothers are celebrating. Probably by taking a rip off a bong.
On Tuesday, the Nevada State Athletic Commission (NSAC) formally adopted a proposed regulation to remove cannabis from the list of substances prohibited for use by unarmed combatants. In other words, weed is off the naughty list for fighters in the state of Nevada.
In a brief summary, the regulation notes “that the possession, use or consumption of cannabis or cannabis products does not violate anti-doping requirements.” This is in stark contrast to years past: in 2015, Nick Diaz was banned five years for marijuana use; at the time, the commission considered a lifetime ban for the popular fighter.
Veteran reporter John Morgan was among the first to report the news.
The Diaz incident has long been a source of embarrassment for the commission, especially given it took away years from the prime of Nick Diaz’s career. It came at a time when restrictions around the drug – not a performance enhancing substance – were just starting to be relaxed.
Nick and younger brother Nate have long been the poster boys for weed in mixed martial arts. Still, they are far from the only fighters to have been vocal about their cannabis use. And outside of the recreational side, the late Elias Theodorou also pushed to ease restrictions on medicinal use of the drug.
The NSAC is essentially playing catch-up here. When the UFC switched from USADA to a combination of CSAD (Combat Sports Anti-Doping) and Drug Free Sport at the start of 2024, marijuana was removed from the UFC Anti-Doping Policy’s banned substance list. Under the USADA regime, thresholds for THC (the active component of marijuana) had been lowered, but the substance was still tested for.
While Nate Diaz is not currently with the UFC, Nick returns to action at UFC 310 on December 7, 2024. That fight happens to be in Nevada, so Diaz can breathe easy.
