For those of you who don’t know, MMA fighter Nate Diaz has been embroiled in a scandal over his use of a pen-style vaporizer filled with CBD oil during the UFC 202 press conference.
The controversy stems from the fact that CBD oil is one of 113 cannabinoids in marijuana. The CBD oil that is commonly used in vape pens doesn’t contain even a single trace of THC, the mind-altering compound in cannabis. CBD oil on it’s own has no psychoactive effect.
When a reporter at the post-fight press conference asked him what he was smoking, Diaz made no effort to conceal what he was doing. He plainly responded:
“This is CBD. It helps with the healing process and inflammation. So you want to get these for before and after the fights, training. It’ll make your life a better place.”
NAC tells me they will not impose a penalty on Nate Diaz for “vape-gate”, since it happened post-drug test. USADA still looking into it.
— Ariel Helwani (@arielhelwani) September 8, 2016
Before the popular UFC fighter can get back into the octagon, he’ll have to be cleared by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency, which is responsible for the UFC’s drug testing program. Under USADA guidelines, CBD is considered a banned substance when consumed above a certain threshold (150ng/ml) in connection to in-competition testing. The timeframe for in-competition testing spans from six hours before the fight until six hours after the fight. The UFC 202 press conference fell within that window.
Meanwhile, Richard Perez, Diaz’s coach, has come to the fighter’s defense. He made the following statement while talking to Submission Radio on Monday:
“I mean, doctors prescribe you with drugs left and right that are not even good for you. And I mean, I don’t do what he does, but I understand what he’s doing. You know, cause it’s for pain. … So I feel like he was being his own doctor, let’s put it that way.”
The USADA has yet to announce when they will make their final decision.
