MEDICAL MARIJUANA USER BANNED FROM REGATTA
By: Eliot Kleinberg, The Palm Beach Post (FL), 09-27-05


Irvin Rosenfeld, the South Florida stockbroker who gained national attention for his fight to freely use marijuana as medicine, has run into resistance from one of the nation's top sailing events for the disabled and expects to be barred from next year's event.

The reason: an independent group that monitors use of drugs by athletes won't exempt the pot Rosenfeld uses to treat tumors that would otherwise leave him bedridden and in pain.

Rosenfeld, who has sailed in three races of the North American Challenge Cup in 11 years, has asked the race's organizers and the U.S. Sailing Association to overrule the United States Anti-Doping Agency and let him sail in the 2006 regatta. He said an event that celebrates overcoming disabilities is in effect discriminating against a disabled person.

The USADA, the official anti-doping agency for Olympic, Pan American and Paralympic sports, gave no reason for its rejection, Rosenfeld said in a Friday e-mail to the sailing officials.

Travis T. Tygart, general counsel for Colorado Springs-based USADA, said Monday the agency is bound by the standards of the World Anti- Doping Agency, which bans marijuana. Banned drugs must meet at least two of three standards: they enhance performance, they have detrimental health effects, or they violate the spirit of sports. The WADA does not specify which standards apply to marijuana, Tygart said. He said athletes are free to appeal to WADA, and, if rejected there, to an independent arbitrator.

Representatives of Montreal-based WADA did not return calls on Monday.

© 2005 H.U.M.A.N.: Hemp Users Medical Access Network - Toronto Medical Marijuana