Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) has reported an anti-doping rule violation against the Respondent after his sample tested positive for the prohibited substance JWH-018 (Cannabimimetics). After notification a provisional suspension was ordered and he was heard for the Tribunal.
Respondent admitted the violation. He and a witness gave evidence that they were celebrating a birthday with a group of friends. Everyone in the group was smoking cigarettes with the synthetic cannabis product Kronic and pressuring Respondent to do so too but he was not keen. However, he ultimately succumbed to peer pressure from the rest of the group (“to shut us up so we could leave him alone” according to his witness) and took some puffs from one of the cigarettes. He did not realise that Kronic contained a product banned in sport.
The Tribunal assesses Respondent’s degree of fault in all the circumstances of the case and concludes these circumstances justified a reduction from the usual starting point of four months’ suspension for a cannabis violation.
Therefore the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand decides to impose a 3 month period of ineligibility on the Respondent starting on the date of the provisional suspension, i.e. on 11 October 2012.
