Editorial: Is coke really that OK?

Doug Laing

The absence of a heavy hand from sports bodies as cocaine is revealed as the drug of choice for those so-inclined among our sporting elite is perplexing to say the least.

Rugby league seems to have left decisions on the dalliance Kiwis captain Jesse Bromwich and teammate Kevin Proctor had with a dealer in Canberra a few hours after the test against Australia a fortnight ago in the hands of the coach and the New Zealand Rugby Union kept out of things when former All Black Ali Williams offended similarly in France just 10 weeks earlier.

These cases are far from isolated, and there seems to be some sort of acceptance that it's OK for people who can afford it to buy A-class drugs from people who could, if they were in New Zealand, be sentenced to life imprisonment for selling it.

One in Christchurch earlier this month got 14 and a half years, but he'd still be free if there wasn't anyone to buy it.

The actions of these people and tread-lightly approach of the sports bodies are actually a slap in the face to most people who work at the grassroots level, where the motivation is usually keeping young people out of trouble by helping provide a pathway to better options in life.

The reward is often only the knowing and quiet grin watching the tele as the kid runs out on to some big stadium to take on the Aussies for the first time, even if a lot of others have clipped the ticket along the way.

The point here is that these kids need role models, and the world of sport and its promotion is full of telling kids what they should eat, drink, do and buy if they want to become a superstar.

The message could be taken from recent events that if you want to know how to be able to afford cocaine, become a professional footballer.