Pubdate: Sat, 15 Jun 2013
Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB)
Copyright: 2013 Winnipeg Free Press
Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter
Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502
Author: Randy Turner
Page: 6

CANNABIS AND THE CFL

The news that Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Jonathan Hefney is
facing charges for marijuana possession back in South Carolina is
controversial -- in part because of the veteran defender's status and
personal baggage -- but not exactly earth-shattering, given the
relationship between the CFL and pot.

In a league where no team plays on natural grass, marijuana has been a
headline-generating issue for more than four decades in Canada. The
CFL has long been a haven for NFL players -- most recently Ricky
Williams in Toronto and Onterrio Smith in Winnipeg -- who have
repeatedly failed drug tests in the U.S., where marijuana is
considered a banned substance. (The CFL tests for performance-enhancing
drugs, but not recreational drugs, including marijuana.)

Smith became infamous in 2005 when airport security at the
Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport caught him carrying dried
urine and a "Whizzinator" -- a kit designed to mask drug tests. In
2006, Smith was invited to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp,
but arrived 20 pounds overweight (sans Whizzinator) and was quickly
released.

Williams, meanwhile, became a cause-celebre in the Big Smoke after
smoking his way out of a gig with the Miami Dolphins in 2005. Williams
suited up for the Argos the same year as Smith was brought in by the
Bombers, giving every impression the CFL had morphed into the Cannabis
Forever League.

Although evidence is anecdotal, there is no denying a substantial
number of CFL players have gone to pot.

"In the NFL, the most common drug problem is performance-enhancing
drugs," one former CFL head office executive told the Free Press on
condition of anonymity. "In the CFL, the most common drug is marijuana.

"No one would have had hard data," the source added. "Everybody would
have had one or two guys for sure they knew were doing something. But
it was more assumed or suspected. I wouldn't say it was wide-open. It
was more 'understood.' "

Stories abound of players -- star players, mind you -- who regularly
smoked a blunt in the Bombers parking lot before team meetings. Some
players would ask for gum before interviews.

"Sometimes a player would sneak out to his car to smoke a joint," one
longtime Bombers employee said, echoing a story from multiple sources.
"That was his routine."

But the Bombers' marijuana history dates back as far as punter Bernie
Ruoff, who was unceremoniously kicked off the team in 1979 after
getting busted for pot possession. Ruoff was later convicted of the
offence and given a conditional discharge. However, his discharge from
the community-owned club was permanent.

Ruoff was replaced by a young quarterback/kicker from Acadia named Bob
Cameron, who proceeded to don the Blue and Gold for the next 23
seasons. "Ben Johnson and I have something in common," Cameron likes
to joke. "We both owe our career to drugs."

Even prior to Ruoff's ouster, Bombers star running back Mack Herron,
who led the league in rushing in 1972, was caught by police trying to
toss a small amount of marijuana out of his East Kildonan apartment
that off-season. Herron was released and blackballed by the league. He
spent the next two years in the NFL. Then Herron spent much of the
next several years in jail, mostly for drug convictions.

But what was once isolated marijuana use has evolved into a more
noticeable indulgence.

In his 17-plus seasons with the Bombers, place-kicker Troy Westwood
remembered post-practice sessions where players drained beer by the
tub. The scene changed almost overnight, Westwood said. Beer
consumption dropped and pot consumption increased. "There was a
fundamental shift from beer to marijuana," he said. "It was amazing."

For the record, Westwood never partook. "I tried it when I was
younger," he said. "It never did anything for me."

Westwood, in his later years with the club, also never went foraging
for nightlife with younger players. But he suggested the increased use
of recreational drugs in the league mirrors North American society.

In 2011, an expansive drug study funded by Health Canada found half of
Grade 10 students have used marijuana at least once, up from one-third
in 1990 -- making Canadian teens the world's No. 1 pot smokers. The
same study found alcohol use and drunkenness dropped slightly among
youths 12 to 17 years old.

In the U.S., the rate of eighth-graders saying they have used an
illicit drug in the past year jumped to 16 per cent from the previous
year's 14.5 per cent, with daily marijuana use up in all grades
surveyed, according to the 2010 Monitoring the Future Survey. The
study also found while 21.4 per cent of high school seniors used
marijuana in the past 30 days, only 19.2 per cent smoked cigarettes.

In addition, there are now 14 states (not South Carolina,
unfortunately for Hefney) that have passed decriminalization laws.
Marijuana is now legal in Colorado and Washington state.

"I think what happens in the CFL locker-room is reflective of what's
happening in society," said Westwood, who co-hosts The Big Show on TSN
1290. "I think young people are as likely to smoke (pot) as drink
these days. I think we live in a day and age right now where
(marijuana) is just barely illegal the way cigarettes are barely legal."

Westwood stressed he wasn't endorsing marijuana, but he believes
Bombers GM Joe Mack shouldn't release Hefney -- as some fans and
commentators have debated -- merely based on the drug charges.

"You've got your head in the sand if you don't think marijuana is
remarkably common," Westwood added. "I know this: The football club
deals with a lot of situations that are outside the box. I think this
would be middle-of-the-road.

"If you're going to drop Jonathan Hefney because you think he smokes
pot... you've got a situation on your hands. If you cut everybody who
smokes pot, you're going to have to scour every nook and cranny for
players. And good players, too."

At a press conference this week to address Hefney's drug charges, Mack
said the club would stand by their player... at least, for now.

"It's different than some other altercations that occur," Mack said.
"It's a societal issue. It's really not much of a factor, if any at
all."

However, Mack's position offended former Bombers offensive lineman
Sandy Annunziata, who charged in a column on Yahoo Sports titled "A
Blind, Black and Blue Eye for Blue Bombers" that the Winnipeg GM
"failed miserably" in dealing with Hefney.

"All CFL teams, including the Bombers, are community-minded,"
Annunziata wrote. "Players are invited to events, functions and
schools in order to inspire, deliver positive messages, encourage
health and fitness, and hopefully cultivate new fans. I myself
attended many, many functions, during my playing days. The audience
was almost always young, impressionable minds, eager to meet a pro
football player. And it's in this regard Mack has lost not only his
sense of 'community-owned' reality, but credibility as a respected
leader of the Bombers brand. I understand the allegiance shown to a
valued team member, but not at the expense of an organization's
reputation."

Countered another former Bomber, who played with Annunziata: "They're 
trying to make it a big deal, but it's not a big deal. It's not good, no 
question. But I don't know if this rises to a major-league issue."

What does the CFL head office have to say?

"We treat these matters on a case-by-case basis, and usually allow our
teams to take the lead with their employees," offered league spokesman
Jamie Dykstra in an email to the Free Press. "In the recent case of
Jonathan Hefney, the matter is before the courts, the Bombers have
indicated they do not plan to act at this time, and we will respect
the legal process by not commenting at this time.

"Our league-wide drug policy provides for random testing of players
for a sweeping number of performance-enhancing drugs. It does not test
for recreational drugs, including marijuana. When that policy was
launched in 2010, we said it is our responsibility to protect the
integrity of our game."

There are a number of reasons cited for marijuana use in the CFL, from
pain management to sheer boredom to stress relief. But look no further
than the nearest college campus and house party to determine if the
spread of weed is isolated to a professional football
locker-room.

"It exists because it exists in society. It's a reflection, not a
trend-setter," the CFL source said. "I never heard any discussion in a
coach's meetings where someone said, 'This is a problem.' It's more
the coaching staff and GM worried about a player's character and
behaviour. To some extent, they're accepting. But I'm sure if they
thought there was a bigger problem, they would deal with it."
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