Postive THC for female paralympic skier. Heavy penalty to follow.

Medal winning Canadian, paralympic skier Kimberly Joines drew a 9 month suspension for a positive THC test taken at an Aspen World Cup event in January 2007.  WADA lists the active ingredient in marijuana, THC, as a PED.  Over the top?

The report here in Canada.com states that Joines suffered a fractured spine in 2000, which left her paralyzed.  She competes in paralympic downhill skiing event.

BONN, Germany — Canadian Paralympic skier Kimberly Joines has been banned from competition for nine months after testing positive for marijuana.

The Edmonton native tested positive at a World Cup event in Aspen, Colo., in January.

Joines, 26, had illegal levels of THC, the active ingredient in marijuana, the International Paralympic Committee said Thursday.

She was given a nine-month ban because it was her first doping offense.

Joines, who broke her back in a snowboarding accident in 2000, won a bronze medal in the sit-ski super-G at the 2006 Turin Paralympics.

A couple years ago Joines slipped off a ski-lift, falling 35 feet with only minor injuries.  After a fall like that anyone might need some THC to get back to skiing.

Should THC be on the PED list?  Perhaps it relaxes certain competitors.  However, The Nation wonders if THC isn't anti-PED.  We would certainly consider a far lighter sanction (to bed without munchies) than given for the heavy duty PEDs.  Joines will be forced to suffer disproportionally for the severity of the offense.  As indicated here in First Tracks Online, the paralymphian will pay a heavy price for a light dose of THC.  Several medals she won will go up in smoke:

According to the IPC Anti-Doping Code (Article 12.1 and 12.7), all individual results obtained at the 2007 IPC Alpine Skiing World Cup and thereafter shall be disqualified. This includes the forfeit of any medals, points and prizes. Joines recorded a gold medal in Super G on January 17 in Aspen, a 5th place in Slalom in Arte Therme, Italy on March 12, and a 6th place in Giant Slalom the following day. Joines took home the bronze medal from the Super G in Arte Therme on March 14. She ended up in 6th place overall on the 2007 World Cup, ranked third in Super G, 5th in Slalom and 6th in Giant Slalom.

Comments

[Keith]

The bullshit the governments are causing with THC and marijuana is getting out of hand... JUST LEGALIZE IT. Hell, I can only train when I'm high...

And with this: just let here go back in with a warning, and remove THC from the PED list. It is not worth it for them to enforce it, short term and long term.