Rugby league administrators are hoping the Sports Tribunal of New Zealand will base its findings on more than just anecdotal evidence in the future when it takes a pot shot at a sporting code.
The tribunal suspended promising Northland representative league player Joshua Poasa from participating in all sports for four
months after he tested positive for cannabis use at the end of last season.
But in a copy of the decision suspending Poasa, the tribunal stated there was mitigating evidence to suggest that there may be a culture of cannabis smoking among Northland rugby league players.
The suggestion annoyed New Zealand Rugby League's Northern Zone general manager Rob Wakelin, who said there was a culture of cannabis use throughout the entire country and it seemed unfair to target one sport or area without significant research to back it up.
He believed it would be a wake-up call for Poasa, but said he was disappointed that publication of the 18-year-old's name hadn't been suppressed.
Poasa tested positive for cannabis after a Northern Swords match in Mt Maunganui in September.
He admitted he had smoked cannabis with some Portland Panther teammates a month earlier.
The NZRL had included drug education in its high-performance programme to get the message across that elite sport and drug use didn't mix.
