Social Worker advises athletes to leave out marijuana

Any young sportsman or sports woman who wants to compete beyond the recreational level, should not indulge in the use of marijuana.

That is the candid view of social worker, Kevan Glasgow, one of the facilitators at a ‘Safeguarding’ workshop, held last Saturday, April 13, 2024, at Olympic House, Villa Point.

Glasgow in an interview with SEARCHLIGHT, said that there is an uptick in the use of marijuana among sports people here, but pointed out that it is still a banned substance on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) list.

“Whilst we may accept that culturally marijuana is a social use [substance] persons in sports must understand that there are standards…and there are global regulations, therefore we cannot push against what is already established.”

Glasgow underscored that St Vincent and the Grenadines has an active anti-doping programme in keeping with the mandate of the Regional Anti- Doping Organisation(RADO), as well as WADA.

“ We must be reminded that Vincentian sportsmen and women based here locally, can be tested in and out of competition.”

He noted too, that while there have been varied opinions on the impact of marijuana on performance, it is enough for it to remain prohibited, according to WADA.

“Marijuana has been proven to impact on one’s performance and even the way someone behaves…whether you use it for entertainment or otherwise, it affects the body…

“It has a lot of implications on the body, affecting one’s ability to think clearly and rationally…even affecting one’s ability to perform,” Glasgow noted.

Part of the prolonged debate, he said, is because of the fact that marijuana affects people differently.

“The problem is that while some persons are affected one way, others might not be affected. Because of this, it is not something that you can play with…therefore, I will encourage persons to rethink their use of substances for that matter,” Glasgow added.

Saturday’s workshop was the first in a series aimed at increasing the knowledge and awareness of affiliates and stakeholders on Safeguarding.

In Glasgow’s presentation, he addressed the Psychological effects on athlete’s performance.

The other presentations came from Garet Dopwell, who gave an insight into human trafficking in St Vincent and the Grenadines; and Camille Mc Intosh who gave an overview of child abuse cases.