Marijuana Use In Colleges Causes Big Issues

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

FORT WORTH, Tex. — One of the strangest situations in college baseball history took place when Texas Wesleyan Head Coach Mike Jeffcoat was fired for rejecting a recruit because that athlete simply came from the state of Colorado.

The Houston Chronicle carried Jeffcoat’s e-mail which was sent out to a young man named Gavin Bell which later was posted on Twitter as it went viral.

Jeffcoat had several unfortunate situations with players from Colorado in the past in regard to marijuana use.

Colorado, along with the state of Washington, became the first states to legalize marijuana for recreational purposes in 2012.

He responded to Gavin with the following comments: “Thanks for the interest in our program. Unfortunately, we are not recruiting players from the state of Colorado. In the past, players have had trouble passing our drug test.

“We have made a decision to not take a chance on student-athletes from your state. You can thank your liberal politicians. Best of luck wherever you decide to play.”

When Jeffcoat’s e-mail became known to Texas Wesleyan administrators, all hell broke loose as he was ultimately let go nine days later.

Undoubtedly cooler heads should have prevailed. Jeffcoat is a long time coach at the school who should not have been terminated.

His comments are symbolic of a much greater problem.

Marijuana use in colleges, along with alcohol consumption, is what the vast majority of students use during their off time.

If you ask 100 college baseball coaches from NCAA Div. I to junior college, they will all tell you that marijuana and alcohol use are impossible to stop even with strict team rules in place that have severe consequences.

If you are an NCAA Division I or II athlete, the NCAA bans eight different classes of drugs, from stimulants to diuretics to street drugs.

There is a year-round testing program on these two levels.

The penalty for testing positive for a performance-enhancing drug is one full year of lost eligibility for the first offense.

All remaining eligibility is lost with a second positive test.

For street drugs, such as marijuana and heroin, a student-athlete must sit out a half-season of competition if he is caught on a first offense. A second positive test results in the loss of a year of eligibility from the day of the test.

Currently nine states and Washington D.C. have legalized marijuana for recreational purposes.

Newsweek published a story in January that stated at least 12 more states are poised to consider marijuana legalization in 2018.

Several states like Texas, where Texas Wesleyan is located, have strict marijuana laws. For years, possession of even a tiny amount of marijuana could land you in jail. In fact, anything less than two ounces carried a maximum penalty of 180 days in jail and a fine of up to $2,000.

In many states, the use of marijuana is illegal. If the police are called and find an underage student with alcohol or marijuana, that person can be arrested.

To read more of this article, purchase the March 23, 2018 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

The rest of the story explains the progressive step that was taken at Cochise College in Arizona in regard to marijuana use. We also explain what the NCAA found as far as how many student-athletes use marijuana and what the consequences are if an athlete is caught. In addition, we examine what the affects of marijuana are as far as reaction time, motor and eye-hand coordination as well as time perception.