On Saturday night, UFC lightweight Nate Diaz spent 25 minutes punching and getting punched by Conor McGregor. It was a brutal fight that left both men bloodied and hobbled—McGregor broke his foot while kicking Diaz’s right leg to pieces, and Diaz earned a face full of cuts and bruises—and so it’s no great surprise that Diaz reached for something to help take the edge off after the fight.
Throughout his post-fight press conference, Diaz took long pulls from a vape pen that he told reporters was full of CBD oil, which “helps with the healing process and inflammation, stuff like that.”
No sane person would deny Nate Diaz the right to enjoy the pleasures of vaporized cannabinoids after getting punched in the face dozens of times—it should be noted that CBD is non-psychoactive—but the sports world is unfortunately governed by the insane. To that end, the United States Anti-Doping Agency is now looking to harsh Diaz’s mellow. Via MMA Fighting:
“I can confirm that USADA is aware of the situation and is currently gathering information in order to determine the next appropriate steps,” USADA spokesperson Ryan Madden told MMA Fighting in a statement.
Cannabis is considered a “specified substance” by the UFC anti-doping policy. In other words, it’s not an anabolic or hormonal agent, but it is still prohibited in certain cases, like in-competition. An athlete violating the policy for a specified substance can face a suspension of up to one year, according to Article 10.2.2.
Let Nate Diaz vape in peace, you goddamn squares.