Facts
The Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) alleges Zach White (the athlete) for a violation of the Canadian Anti-Doping Program. On September 12, 2009, the CCES conducted an in-competition doping control in Ottawa involving the athlete. He was notified for doping control on that date and provided an urine sample. Analysis indicated an adverse analytical finding for the presence of cannabis above the threshold of 15 ng/ml. Cannabis is a prohibited substance according to the 2009 WADA Prohibited List, which states that all prohibited substances shall be considered as 'Specified Substances'.
History
Based upon a psychiatric interview it is indicated that the athlete got into the use of cannabis purely for recreational reasons in the context of peer relationships. There is no indication in my assessment that the use of cannabis is motivated by the desire to improve his performance in sports or any other skills. His frequency of use had been very variable, dependent on the social circumstance and did not appear to be related to periods that he was involved in sports. There appeared to be no temporal relationship between his drug use and involvement in sport practices or participation in competitive sports activities.
The athlete declares that he was consuming about 2 grams per session per day. He had a psychological need to consume the drug and probably a physical desire as well, without realizing any addiction going on within his body.
Decision
The sanction for the anti-doping rule violation committed by the athlete be seven (7) months of ineligibility. This period of inelligibility is to be served commencing on November 18, 2009, the date the athlete accepted a voluntary provisional suspension. It will end on June 18, 2010.
