College athletes and marijuana: Harsh punishments no longer the norm

Alcohol remains by far the most abused substance on college campuses, with marijuana ranking second. In the most recent NCAA survey of athletes (2013), 70.9 percent of Division I football players acknowledged using alcohol in the previous 12 months and 19.3 percent acknowledged using marijuana or synthetic marijuana. In men’s basketball, reported use was 58.1 percent for alcohol and 11.3 percent for marijuana/synthetic marijuana.

While schools come down hard on athletes caught using performance-enhancing drugs — a first positive test typically results in a one-year suspension — they are much less punitive for marijuana and other so-called street drugs.

Athletes who test positive a first time typically receive counseling but lose no playing time. Also, athletes who come forward and acknowledge drug use before they are tested are offered help under “safe harbor” programs. Second positive tests typically result in some lost playing time. Suspensions generally start kicking in after a second positive, though Kansas, Mississippi, Purdue and Oregon don’t mandate a suspension until a third offense.

Football coach Mike Riley, in his first year at Nebraska after 14 years coaching at Oregon State, said he becomes suspicious marijuana is being used when he notices a player who misses or is late for meetings or is not fully engaged on and off the field.

“Through my years in coaching, I can almost pick out the guys who have a marijuana problem,” Riley said. “You give me three weeks with a team and, if you’ve got five guys, I could get three or four of them.”

Former Nebraska defensive end Randy Gregory failed a marijuana test at the NFL scouting combine last February and later publicly acknowledged his use in college. Once considered a high first-round draft pick, he wasn’t selected until late in the second round by Dallas.

Gregory said he and his Nebraska teammates didn’t worry a lot about being tested. Nebraska, under a policy effective since September 2014, suspends an athlete for 10 percent of his or her sport’s season after a second failed drug test and 20 percent after a third failed test. A fourth failed test results in dismissal. The previous policy, in place when Gregory initially enrolled, didn’t take away playing time until a third failed test.

“I’m not saying that we were kind of like invincible,” said Gregory, who played under former Huskers coach Bo Pelini. “But they don’t make it a big deal. … They didn’t really test you unless you had failed one and then after that, they test you weekly almost.”

Dr. Lonnie Albers, Nebraska’s associate athletic director for athletic medicine, declined an interview request through the sports information department.

In addition to school testing for a wide range of drugs, Gregory and his teammates were subject to random screening for PEDs by the Big Ten and NCAA.

“Did I know folks that were abusing it? Yeah, on different ends of the spectrum. I think you know what I mean, smoking and other performance-enhancing drugs,” Gregory said. “Sometimes guys get lucky. The Big Ten comes in, we’re testing steroids, might be a guy on steroids but he may say, ‘You know what, I don’t think I’ll be one of the 12 guys that they’re testing out of the 100-and-how-many guys we have on the team.’ And they’ll get lucky and not get tested. It’s kind of hit or miss, I think.”

The NCAA has been testing for marijuana and other street drugs at championship events since the 1980s. The NCAA suspends athletes for a full season for a failed PED test. Starting in August 2014, however, the penalty for failing an NCAA street-drug test was reduced from a suspension of one full season to a half season.

NCAA medical chief Dr. Brian Hainline said his organization should concentrate on busting athletes who use PEDs and leave it to the schools to deal with the rest, preferably through treatment rather than punishment.

“The most important thing that I can’t emphasize enough is that as a society, we have to make a clear distinction between recreational drug use and cheating,” Hainline said. “I really believe that they require two different approaches. One is more nuanced, and one is hard core.”

What about marijuana being against the law in most states?

“If we’re going to test at championship events for things that are illegal, then we shouldn’t just test for pot,” Hainline said. “If there are any kids under the age of 18 smoking cigarettes, we should test for that. We certainly should be testing for alcohol for everyone under the age of 21. Then we ask ourselves, ‘Where does the moral authority stop?’ I’m all for moral authority as long as there is a philosophical consistency to it.”

Drug policies in the Power Five

School-by-school recreational drug policy highlights, listed by Power Five conference (x-Less stringent policy since 2005. y-More stringent policy since 2005):

ACC

x-Boston College: Separate policy for marijuana, one-year suspension on fourth failed test vs. on third previously.

y-Clemson: 10 percent season suspension for second failed test vs. community service previously.

Florida State: Length of suspensions not spelled out, but dismissal possible for third failed test.

Duke: 50-percent season suspension for second failed test; dismissal for third.

y-Georgia Tech: 20-percent season suspension for second failed test vs. 10 percent previously.

Louisville: Length of suspensions not spelled out, but dismissal for fourth failed test.

x-Miami: 10 hours community service for first failed marijuana test vs. 1-game suspension for other drugs; lost playing time for first failed test for any drug previously.

x-North Carolina: 20-percent season suspension for second failed test vs. 50 percent previously.

North Carolina State: 20-percent season suspension for second failed test; dismissal for third.

Virginia: Indefinite suspension for third failed test.

Virginia Tech: 33-percent season suspension for second failed test; one-year suspension for third.

Pittsburgh, Wake Forest, Syracuse did not provide policies.

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BIG TEN

x-Indiana: One-year suspension for third failed test vs. dismissal previously.

y-Illinois: 25-percent season suspension for second failed marijuana test vs. 1/12th suspension previously; 50-percent suspension for third failed marijuana test vs. 25-percent previously.

Iowa: Community service for first two failed tests; possible dismissal for third.

Maryland: Two-week suspension for second failed test; one-year suspension for third.

Michigan: 33-percent season suspension for second failed test; one-year suspension for third.

Michigan State: 30-day suspension for second failed test; one-year suspension for third.

Minnesota: 20-percent season suspension for second failed test; one-year suspension for third.

x-Nebraska: 20-percent season suspension for third failed test vs. dismissal previously.

Ohio State: One-year suspension for third failed test.

Purdue: 10-percent season suspension for third failed test; possible dismissal for fourth.

x-Rutgers: Up to two-week suspension for first failed test for non-football players; football-specific policy established in 2008 calls for one-game suspension for second failed test.

Wisconsin: Indefinite suspension with possible dismissal for third failed test.

Northwestern, Penn State did not provide policies.

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BIG 12

x-Baylor: 10-percent season suspension for second failed test vs. 10-percent suspension plus one game previously.

Iowa State: 10-percent season suspension for second failed test; dismissal after third.

x-Kansas: Dismissal after fifth failed test vs. after third failed test previously.

Kansas State: 10-percent season suspension for second failed test; dismissal for third.

Oklahoma: Dismissal, with possible reinstatement, for third failed test; No reinstatement after fourth failed test.

x-Oklahoma State: No mandatory suspensions for failed tests; 50-percent season suspension for third failed test previously.

x-Texas: Dismissal after fourth failed marijuana test vs. third previously.

y-Texas Tech: Dismissal for third failed test for any drug vs. dismissal for fourth failed marijuana test previously.

x-West Virginia: Counseling for first failed marijuana test vs. indefinite suspension previously.

TCU: One-year suspension after second failed test; dismissal after third.

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PAC 12

Arizona: Counseling for first failed marijuana test; suspension possible after first failed test for other drugs.

Arizona State: 10-percent season suspension for second failed test; dismissal for third.

California: Two-week suspension for second failed test; dismissal after third.

Colorado: 20-percent season suspension for second failed test; one-year suspension after third.

x-Oregon: 50-percent season suspension for third failed test vs. dismissal previously.

x-Oregon State: 30-percent season suspension for second failed test vs. 50 percent previously; dismissal for fourth failed test vs. third failed test previously.

y-UCLA: One-game suspension for second failed test vs. counseling for second failed test previously.

x-Utah: 50-percent season suspension for third failed test vs. dismissal previously.

x-Washington: 30-day suspension for third failed test vs. one-year suspension previously; dismissal for fifth failed test vs. fourth failed test previously.

x-Washington State: No mandatory suspension for failed tests vs. 30 days for second failed test and dismissal for third failed test previously.

Southern California did not provide policy; Stanford does not drug test.

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SEC

x-Alabama: 25-percent season suspension, or minimum of 3 games, for third failed test vs. one-year suspension previously.

x-Arkansas: 25-percent season suspension for third failed test vs. one-year suspension previously.

x-Auburn: 50-percent season suspension for third failed test vs. dismissal previously.

Florida: 10-percent season suspension for second failed marijuana test, dismissal for second failed test for other drugs.

Georgia: 30-percent season suspension for second failed test; dismissal after third.

x-LSU: 50-percent season suspension for third failed test vs. one-year suspension previously.

x-Kentucky: 30-percent season suspension for third failed test vs. dismissal previously.

Mississippi: Three-game suspension for third failed test, six games or possible dismissal for fourth.

y-Mississippi State: Dismissal for third failed test for all drugs vs. dismissal for fourth failed marijuana test previously.

Missouri: Seven-day suspension for second failed test; dismissal after third.

South Carolina: 25-percent season suspension for second failed test; dismissal after third.

Tennessee: Dismissal for fourth failed marijuana test vs. dismissal for third failed test for other drugs.

x-Texas A&M: 50-percent season suspension for third failed test vs. dismissal previously.

Vanderbilt did not provide policy.

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MAJOR INDEPENDENT

x-Notre Dame: 33 percent season suspension for second failed marijuana test, one-year suspension for second failed test for other drugs vs. dismissal for second failed test for any drug previously.

Online: NCAA FAQ on drug testing; AP college football sites

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AP Sports Writers Kareem Copeland, Tim Booth and Schuyler Dixon contributed to this report.