Thoughts. Opinions. Is it rampant, limited or nonexistent? I’m talking baseball. I’ve been told in football and basketball it’s pretty widespread. I imagine the use varies by level and region.
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It was about 50% on the D1 P5 team I played on 40 years ago. Since then the time demands on college baseball players have gone way up, as have academic standards, and drug testing has been implemented. To me that would suggest a downward trend. On the flip side there are many more forms that can be ingested and more ways to mask usage. My guess is that the overall % is less now than in my prehistoric days, but it’s still a significant number. One of the funniest things that ever took place while I played has to do with this topic. Our team had a squad of batgirls that attended every game and traveled with the team on road trips. On bus trips the girls often brought food along for the players and coaches. On one trip one of the girls brought along a plate of brownies, which seemed innocent enough - except they weren’t. The brownies were gone in about 10 minutes and almost everyone on board, including coaches, was high soon thereafter. Found out years later that whole thing was orchestrated by our catcher. Surprisingly I don’t think there were any repercussions as those in charge were fuzzy on the details of what happened and how. But could you imagine the holy hell that would break loose if that occurred today?!? Geez! But we still laugh about that story at every baseball alumni function.
ADBONO - I think there needs to be a distinction between use and frequency. Two totally different things. Based on what I know of a couple D1 programs, it is more than 50% are smoking it. How often they smoke, I have no clue. I know my son wasn't among them as he was the guy that was always selected to do the "random" drug testing because I think the coaches knew he was their best chance of coming up clean.
In my own college athletic experience 35+ years ago, I'd say 80% of my team was smoking weed on a fairly regular basis during the Nancy Reagan years of "just say no". Apparently that "just say no" message didn't get to my college team in a timely manner. My college roommate was a high-achiever (pun intended) and he couldn't go to sleep without smoking first...he had anxiety issues. He's now a CFO for one of the largest Hedge Funds in the world. Different strokes for different folks.
Today is a much different situation. I was in LA this week on business, and I could smell weed in just about every corner of the Marriott hotel. Our society looks at pot much differently these days and it seems they are relaxing the penalties in major sports as well.
I thought they drug tested everyone in college sports?
As I sit here with a fatty in California, I'm not so sure - but I'm really, really hungry.
But seriously, of course there's pot. Many schools don't test (NCAA tested during the playoffs). Its legal recreationally for much of the US population. To me, better than unwinding with a dozen beers.
College is a maturation process and, much like sausage making, not great to watch on a minute-by-minute basis but the end result (for us) left us perfectly satisfied.
I told both kids (re: alcohol): get to know your limits at college and NOT at your first office Christmas party. Both kids approached my advice with mucho gusto.
fenwaysouth posted:ADBONO - I think there needs to be a distinction between use and frequency. Two totally different things. Based on what I know of a couple D1 programs, it is more than 50% are smoking it. How often they smoke, I have no clue. I know my son wasn't among them as he was the guy that was always selected to do the "random" drug testing because I think the coaches knew he was their best chance of coming up clean.
In my own college athletic experience 35+ years ago, I'd say 80% of my team was smoking weed on a fairly regular basis during the Nancy Reagan years of "just say no". Apparently that "just say no" message didn't get to my college team in a timely manner. My college roommate was a high-achiever (pun intended) and he couldn't go to sleep without smoking first...he had anxiety issues. He's now a CFO for one of the largest Hedge Funds in the world. Different strokes for different folks.
Today is a much different situation. I was in LA this week on business, and I could smell weed in just about every corner of the Marriott hotel. Our society looks at pot much differently these days and it seems they are relaxing the penalties in major sports as well.
Agree with the need to distinguish between use & frequency. On our team we only had a few frequent hard users. Most were occasional.
Geezmom posted:I thought they drug tested everyone in college sports?
They test the guys they think will pass
Forget the marijuana.
Be more concerned about the C4 and other extreme caffeine supplement abuse, and the steroid abuse the juco transfers bring in with them.
fenwaysouth posted:Based on what I know of a couple D1 programs, it is more than 50% are smoking it. How often they smoke, I have no clue. I know my son wasn't among them as he was the guy that was always selected to do the "random" drug testing because I think the coaches knew he was their best chance of coming up clean.
I
^^^This.
This was keewartson's experience as well.
Showball$ posted:Forget the marijuana.
Be more concerned about the C4 and other extreme caffeine supplement abuse, and the steroid abuse the juco transfers bring in with them.
You are kidding yourself if you think that only goes on because of JuCo players
As far as I know the NCAA only tests during championship games.
Testing is done by each school for each player at the beginning of the school year and randomly throughout the year if necessary. Each institution depending upon where they are located has their own set of guidelines as well as conferences. If a player tests positive, they have a retest and opportunities to appeal the decision.
MILB no longer tests for THC which is found in marijuana.
Not to change the topic, but how about tobacco? My son's HS team is buzzing (no pun intended) because a recent alum who plays in college told them over Winter break that in college every ball player dips or vapes or both.
I know of a team from a very prestigious school where many of the players do Coke after games, and I don't mean the liquid.
57special posted:I know of a team from a very prestigious school where many of the players do Coke after games, and I don't mean the liquid.
That's a pretty bold statement, did you just "hear" that or do you have proof to back that up?
Just curious.
Chewing tobacco, unfortunately, is a baseball fact of life beginning in HS and continuing in college and proball. (See, e.g., Sandlot.)
(Its not unusual for adolescents to experiment with tobacco and this is one form - albeit nasty, messy, and dangerous.)
Baseball, imo, is conducive to chewing because of boredom AND the need to be "up and ready" every moment. And, add to that, peer pressure.
We tried to take a stand, but what can you do to a 21 year old not at home? So, every time he was home, we'd schedule a dentist visist, call the dentist to inform him of son's use of chewing tobacco, and the dentist would dutifully tell son he found a potential pre-cancerous condition during the oral exam and show him pictures of the result of extended using. Didn't seem to reduce the use.
That said, immediately following his retirement, he simply stopped using. A sigh of relief from us; and an acknowledgment that he got lucky that the nicotine didn't addict him.
And this is despite of clear prohibitions at all levels of baseball.
If you are thinking about this in college - you are 6 years too late. If your son is talented enough to play college ball he is being exposed to 17 and 18 year olds in HS when he is 13 or 14.
In my sons case he went to HS coach camp as 7th grader at the end of school year at 13. 3 days later he was suited up with the JV HS team for summer ball. A month into the summer season I went to 7-11 to buy a six pack. Standing at the counter was a teammate of my son buying a blunt. A total eye opener.
My son was 13 and his teammates went from kids in growth spurts to young men driving cars and describing in great detail their escapades with young ladies and at parties. My son was never the same after those 60 days were over. It was a major regret of mine that I was so unprepared for that transition to assert myself more than I did.
I completely undervalued sobriety for 30 years. I wish I had got that message at 18/20 rather than at 45.
TPM posted:57special posted:I know of a team from a very prestigious school where many of the players do Coke after games, and I don't mean the liquid.
That's a pretty bold statement, did you just "hear" that or do you have proof to back that up?
Just curious.
Not bold, unless you consider the truth to be bold. Reliable second hand info. To go into any more detail would "out" the source, and I'm not prepared to do that on a public forum.
It depends on a school and on its testing system. I think it all is individual. You need to directly ask the local doctor or the technician who performs the tests about that.
Many people nowadays use stuff like CBD gummies from https://www.tillmanstranquils....t/cbg-gummies-750mg/ to get relief from pain and inflammation. There is nothing bad about that since these gummies contain no TCH and cannot influence your mental state. Most of the tests performed will not detect THC there, and therefore you are safe.
But again, it’s better to discuss that directly with the person in charge because they know better.
*Shocker* College kids smoke Pot.
I am sure all 5 dentists would recommend gummies.
@Nonamedad posted:Thoughts. Opinions. Is it rampant, limited or nonexistent? I’m talking baseball. I’ve been told in football and basketball it’s pretty widespread. I imagine the use varies by level and region.
So what is the point of your question? For most parents of college kids, or kids in general, getting blinding drunk is fine, but pot, OMG. As someone who has done both alcohol is much worse,
Title is misleading - it's not just D-1! The kids know how long it takes to get out of the system and the coaches have a pretty good idea of consumers. I was shocked about the chew thing for the first child, but they the third one - not so much. Hard habit to break though - if it wasn't for the nasty cup/plastic bottle - one wonders if it'd catch on with the non athletes needing to pull multiple all nighters to prepare and take the big/hard exams.
The original post was 2 years ago.
Cannabis is not a performing enhancing drug, but still tested for and the NCAA committee recently increased the THC threshold for penalties if a student tests positive for having it in their system. There is a penalty structure in place as well for those that test positive.
You can find this information very easily in a place called the internet.
FWIW CBD found in drugstore, pop up stores as well as health food shelves is expensive, and filled with all kinds of fillers. Your kids actually know more about this than their parents.
Considering 18 states + DC (more will be added) have legalized recreational marijuana and 37 states have legalized medical marijuana then I'd say the people have spoken and legality of pot is what it is....more people (including college students) have access to it and are smoking it or eating it whenever they want.
Once again, the NCAA finds itself about a decade (or more) behind society with their policies. Pot is not a performance enhancer, however it could possibly help in recovery. College athletes make many decisions daily. Alcohol, pot and other drugs is just one of those decisions.
Also, if college students are going to smoke pot, I'd rather see them get it from the state dispensaries where it is legal than on the street. JMO.
I have my card due to the complications from the surgery that I had last year. It's a little more complicated than people think. The initial cost is 200 for the doctor and then 75 to the state for license. After 7 months I will need to go back to the doctor for reevaluation another 200. My script does not allow vaping only edibles, cream and drops.
The state regulates how much THC one can use in a year.
With that in mind, its easier for a 21 year old to walk into a shop and purchase delta 8.
They do test but not sure exactly when that happens.
@Geezmom posted:I thought they drug tested everyone in college sports?
My daughter was the sacrificial lamb for testing. Her "team" was tested a couple of times each year. Somehow she seemed to have her name drawn. I would have hated to see what would have happened if certain other key players' names were drawn.
I can only tell you that i have 2 college kids, one athlete. They know more about legal pot then we could ever imagine. Types, strains, effects, costs, options for use....etc. It is literally all over, nobody is attempting to catch anyone from the best I can tell. Nor should they IMO.
I am good with them sourcing legal pot through networks. it is safe, not cut, no additives and generally a good time.
@CoachB25 posted:My daughter was the sacrificial lamb for testing. Her "team" was tested a couple of times each year. Somehow she seemed to have her name drawn. I would have hated to see what would have happened if certain other key players' names were drawn.
it is amazing how that seldom to never seems to happen...weird!!
I am curious how much longer drug testing for pot will go on for? It's not really making sense at any level anymore other than food eating competitions.
I'll share a story, but will not mention names/programs for obvious reasons. A RHP peer of my 2021 son committed fall 2020 to a Juco. Last summer he had an outstanding summer on the mound. While what exactly happened never got out, he ended up committing to P5 D1. Given how late it was, I am assuming it was as a walk on, but since he's a pitcher, maybe not. So he saw limited action this spring as a freshman, but in his outings, he did quite well. On a team that has pitching issues (injuries and kids not panning out as expected), he was a brighter spot. A month or so back my son heard that he failed a pot test and that his punishment was to run something like 25 miles. I can't imagine it was run all at once, but who knows. For a pitcher, my guess is that the punishment was a bear and you'd think, effective. But a couple weeks ago, he was released from the team with no details made public. Word spread fast that it was the result of a 2nd failed test for pot.
I cannot first hand confirm the validity of any of this, but based on all I know, it all seems believable/makes sense. To add insult to injury, we heard he didn't handle it well. Took some loud parting shots on his way out of the program, but the kid (and his old man) have reputations such that it wasn't a surprise. Personally, I am fine with any adult smoking. Growing up, we were largely indoctrinated to believe there were two groups of drugs: regular/fine drugs and super serious/dangerous drugs. Cigarettes and alcohol were fine and everything else (including pot) was hard core. Pot was essentially the same as heroine. Many people still view pot this way. As an adult, I now am dumbfounded how alcohol maintains it's relatively harmless stature, but that's another thread altogether. But I digress. The rules are the rules and this kid was given a second shot. And he pissed it away. Or did he? He's a 6'4" hard throwing pitcher and there will ALWAYS be a need for that. He'll be inconvenienced by this, but my money says this won't be his last shot at playing D1 ball.
A HS teammate of my son's went to a highly rated mid major D1. He was caught smoking pot in the winter of his freshman year by campus police and was dismissed from the team. (Earlier two different teammates were found guilty of DUIs and they got no baseball discipline.)
Someone brought up chew. It brings back a memory or two. I chewed in college for a while. I didn’t pick it up from baseball. A friend came home after freshman year chewing. He was at Wyoming on a ski scholarship.
In a college summer game I was in center. As I was running back to the fence full speed the last thing I heard was “plenty of room” as I leaped head first into the fence.
Obviously, I was noxious from the concussion. But I was sicker from swallowing the chew on impact. It’s the sickest I’ve ever been in my life.
A teammate got in a collision with the opposing catcher (remember those). He was laying on his back with his eyes spinning. I was on deck. I walked up and asked if he was ok. He told me to just leave him there to die. He swallowed his chew on impact.
@PABaseball posted:I am curious how much longer drug testing for pot will go on for? It's not really making sense at any level anymore other than food eating competitions.
I was told that there is testing not sure when it occurs. Weed isn't a performance enhancing drug. However the NCAA has new guidelines if found in a test and penalties ( not as harsh as it used to be) as well.
This can be found on the NCAA site.
It won't let me copy and paste.
Wow - this thread caught my attention. I would guess it’s 50% or higher at the high school level let alone the college level. I know there is a culture of drug and alcohol users in high school and a culture of kids who don’t mess with anything.
I regret I ever tried drugs or alcohol. I am a firm believer that so called acceptable drugs like marijuana or alcohol are gateways. It may not be a gateway to full blown hard drug addiction but it may lead to alcoholism or addiction to prescription drugs down the road.
It’s been over five years since my last drink and it is the best thing I’ve ever done. One day out of the blue, I wanted to see what would happen if I stopped drinking. I didn’t tell a soul. After about six weeks, I felt so much better that I decided I’d never go back. I was not an alcoholic but I enjoyed drinking. These things I’ve found are unnecessary. I do believe there is a time and a place for things. A glass of wine or champagne at a wedding seems appropriate. Anymore than that, my advice to anyone who’ll listen is don’t.
@ChancePruitt posted:Marijuana use is considered a particular culture among some basketball teams. It is common for players to get together after a game or practice and smoke a joint of weed. This is how they relax after a hard game. On the one hand, it is a normal practice.
No doubt in my mind @ChancePruitt. 45 years ago, my high school tennis team would do the same after a hard practice (lots of sprints and drills!). We'd ride our bikes/mopeds to the nearby reservoir after practice for a dip and smoke. This became a very close knit team for the 3 years I was there including 2 state championships...it worked for us. Some people would go for a quick dip and "smoke" and others just came for a dip in the water. Everybody knew it was illegal back then, but nobody cared because they were part of the team. These are decisions young high school kids are faced with today, and there is little doubt in my mind this happens a lot.
By the time they get to college (making their own decisions), they've made up their minds about weed especially athletes. It is everywhere and I think many have been desensitized to pot or just ignore it as something they are, or aren't interested in.
JMO.
https://dcstudentdefense.com/w...marijuana-on-campus/
I found this, I think it is pretty much the standard for all students on most college campuses.
Best to go do what you want off campus.
It just depends how important it is to the individual. The rules and repercussions are well stated for wherever your kids will attend/play
I can speak to pro ball before any recent changes, weed was a banned substance and something they tested for in the minors, but it's not a banned substance in the MLB. In the minors if you were serious about getting there, you didn't do any weed during the season.
At Arkansas it wasn't tolerated, there were many expectations that needed to be met in order to earn the opportunity to get on the field. Again, understand the expectations, rules and repercussions.
In 60 years my opinion has mellowed, no addiction or health issues no judgment. However, my opinion and quarter can get you a gum ball, if you could find a gum ball machine these days...