All Blacks 2023 Rugby World Cup squad. Video / Carson Bluck
The boss of Drug Free Sport New Zealand is “frustrated” to see athletes still using cannabis but said it could be argued whether it was “performance enhancing” or not.
On Tuesday, Hurricanes and Māori All Blacks lock Isaia Walker-Leawere was banned from all sports for a month after testing positive for the prohibited drug.
The New Zealand Rugby Judicial Committee suspended Walker-Leawere for the presence and use of THC, the primary psychoactive compound found in cannabis.
The 26-year-old tested positive after a test during the Super Rugby Pacific season in May. The committee instituted the suspension from July 5 to August 5, and Walker-Leawere entered a treatment programme to address the drug use.
Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) chief executive Nick Paterson told Newstalk ZB’s D’Arcy Waldegrave it didn’t believe cannabis was performance enhancing but it was banned internationally in sport and should be avoided.
“We’re frustrated if I’m honest that we’re still seeing athletes using cannabis; frustrated because it should be avoided.
“The simple reason why they shouldn’t is because it’s on the [World Anti-Doping Agency’s] prohibited list of substances which means no athletes around the world are allowed to use it.
“There was a debate here a year or two back about decriminalising cannabis in New Zealand. The legal status is neither here nor there from a sporting perspective, it’s banned [and] athletes will get a sanction if they are caught using cannabis.”
Paterson said DFSNZ had advocated removing cannabis from the prohibited list for over 15 years and would continue to do so.
Paterson said it did not believe cannabis “is truly performance enhancing”, however, he questioned whether it equipped high-performance athletes to train properly.
Isaia Walker-Leawere was banned from all sports for one month after testing positive for cannabis earlier this year. Photo / Photosport
“In the meantime, I say our strong advice to athletes is just stay away from it.”
Paterson said substances on the list were prohibited for one or more of three reasons:
It could be enhancing to an athlete’s performance;
It represents a health risk;
Or it could violate the spirit of sport.
Paterson said it looked to support athletes using cannabis or prohibited drugs and would like to see those using them get “proper support” to stop using them.
“It’s not about catching athletes and sanctioning them ... it’s about supporting them as well.”
In the NZ Rugby Judicial Committee decision, it said Walker-Leawere smoked cannabis on May 10 following a match in Fiji against the Fijian Drua.
During the match on May 6, the lock received two yellow cards and therefore was issued a red card and sent from the field.
As a result of the red card, he was required to go through the SANZAAR Super Rugby Pacific Judicial Process, where his case was initially considered by the SANZAAR Foul Play Review Committee.
That took place on May 8 and resulted in no suspension or further sanction being imposed and Walker-Leawere was able to play.
Two days later, he joined “non-rugby playing friends” for the evening, with the intention for it to be a “wind down” following everything that had occurred over the previous few days.
Walker-Leawere has played more than 120 first-class matches since 2015, including 10 as a Māori All Blacks, 33 appearances for Hawke’s Bay, and more than 50 for the Hurricanes.
He was one of three players to return home early from an All Blacks XV tour to Japan last month.
At the time, New Zealand Rugby said Walker-Leawere, prop Oli Jager, and hooker Asafo Aumua had returned to New Zealand for personal reasons.
