Survey run by CBS Sports shows college football coaches strongly opposed to marijuana use
The headline probably doesn’t shock you. College football coaches are still strongly opposed to their players using marijuana, according to a survey run by CBS Sports.
But that’s not what makes this survey interesting.
CBS Sports asked several coaches a few different questions about marijuana in its ‘Candid Coaches’ series. While 74 percent of coaches believed that players should be tested and suspended for marijuana use, only 52 percent believed the drug should be illegal in the United States. Thirty-five percent believed it should be legalized and 13 percent had no opinion.
You’d think those two percentages would correlate a little bit tighter, but apparently not.
The coaches that were polled did offer some explanations to their beliefs. Here’s what a few of them had to say:
On why players should still be tested:
“Absolutely [they should be tested]. A lot of times these things are established before you ever meet these kids. When a kid has never done it before college, usually I can correct it if it’s a learned behavior. But when he’s out 12 years old smoking with Uncle John and Cousin Rudy, it’s deep rooted. If I let you do this, I’m setting you up for failure. Right now, the two organizations that say you can’t [smoke] are the NFL and NCAA. You’re involved in one and want to be in the next one. … I really believe marijuana is a gateway drug.”
On why it should be legalized:
“I think it’s going to be legalized soon. I have come full circle as a man on that. We lose a lot of money. We’re helping the cartels grow [by not legalizing].”
There are plenty more interesting responses to sift through on CBS Sports.