Starting Wednesday, the nationwide legalization of recreational marijuana will take effect in Canada. But that doesn’t change anything for the Everett Silvertips and the rest of the Western Hockey League.
Marijuana is a banned substance, per the WHL’s anti-doping policy. However, that doesn’t mean extra precautions weren’t being taken by Everett and other WHL teams in preparation for Canada’s monumental day.
“We’ve tried to educate everybody is what we’ve tried to do,” Silvertips general manager Garry Davidson said. “And every year we try and educate (our players), but this year we took it a little further with the fact that it’s legal Wednesday here on in Canada.”
The Silvertips embarked on their annual six-game Eastern Conference road trip on Tuesday and will be in the province of Saskatchewan when the decriminalization of cannabis takes effect on Wednesday.
“I didn’t do anything special as they got on the bus, but it was all presented to them last week, along with all the players in CHL,” Davidson said.
In conjunction with the Canadian Centre of Ethics in Sport (CCES), Canada’s Anti-Doping Program, all CHL players are required to view an online learning course, which includes a presentation outlining the program’s banned substances with a corresponding comprehension test. All CHL players and coaches must sign a code of ethics following the comprehension test, as well.
“We all have to take it,” Davidson said. “We deal with that every year. … This is all old hat.”
Cannabis has been listed as a banned substance for WHL players since the institution of the league’s anti-doping policy in 2008. The league reiterated its stance in its 2018-2019 season introductory press release.
“That policy is very clear for the players — they cannot participate in any use of cannabis or other performance-enhancing drugs,” WHL commission Ron Robison said in the release. “Consequently, it is incumbent on us to make sure we have a very effective education program to make sure the players are aware of that, first of all, and to really help promote a healthy lifestyle.”
In May, the CHL announced a partnership with Health Canada for its #FocusedOn initiative, which aims to help educate players, parents and adults on facts about cannabis and “encourage them to make positive and healthy lifestyle choices to stay focused on their goals.”
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