Cannabis usage is not only seen by the common people but by sportsmen too who consider the intake of drugs important and advantageous for their health however when it comes to baseball and cannabis consumption we see a lot of strict rules and penalties imposed on baseball players. A baseball player from California was recently hit with suspension for drug usage of cannabis even though the union has consistently opposed strict punishment for cannabis offenses.
There is a difference of punishment for cannabis use between major league players and minor league players however, the major league baseball should reconsider long suspension for minor league players who use cannabis. For major league players only the presence of performance enhancing drugs is tested, not any illicit drug like cannabis hence they players demands for equalizing the system or making the penalties shorter.
Over the last 25 years, there has been growing support for legalization of cannabis for medical and recreational use. As the support of cannabis continues to grow the suspension of players on basis of smoking cannabis is kind off inappropriate as people are growing more and more in favour of it therefore at some point the union will have to reconsider the strong penalties associated with cannabis use but this would only happen if the federal laws and state laws are on the same page. The federal law bans the legalization of cannabis in most parts of US whereas the state laws are somewhat lenient. Despite this on going war for legalization, cannabis is still considered to be an illegal drug under the Controlled Substance Act which classifies high potential abuse of this drug. Baseball players are hence prohibited from selling, possessing or distributing cannabis or any other drug. Urine tests are performed only to test the presence of any drug. If positive results found the union takes strict actions against the player. On first offense 15-30 days of suspension or fine up to 10,000 US dollars. On second offense 30-90 days of suspension or a fine of 50,000 US dollars and on third offense one year of suspension or fine up to 100,000 US dollars. It is great for leagues to have a code of conduct where they are made to follow the right rules. The potential addiction these drugs can cause and all the negative consequences that can flow from that is a great set back for the athletes and their careers.
