Nick Diaz has said that his brother and fellow Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) compatriot Nate Diaz was puffing marijuana during the UFC 202 post-fight presser.
On 20th August, Nate Diaz was seen using a vape pen at the UFC 202 event. He had just come from a five-round loss to Conor McGregor; the current lightweight champion.
Speaking during the post-fight press conference, Nate Diaz had earlier stated that he was consuming CBD in a move aimed at dispelling rumors that that he was puffing on some pot. The American star fighter explained that the CBD helps fighters ease pain and inflammation incurred during fights.
According to MMAMania, Nick Diaz insisted that his brother was puffing on pot and not CBD as he had earlier claimed.
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has a ban on Cannabidiol; which is one of the 13 active cannabionids found in cannabis. The code says that the ban is effective in cases of in-competition, which is six hours before and six hours after a fight.
Nate Diaz seems to have gotten himself into trouble since his “pen use” is now under investigation by USADA.
Earlier this year, Diego Brandao was hit with a nine-month suspension enforced by USADA after testing positive for cannabis metabolites in a fight-night drug test. Athletes who fail this kind of tests can be punished with a public-warning sanction or even a one-year suspension, depending on the situation.
Nick, 33, said that he believes that cannabis is a performance enhancing drug, even going as far as comparing it to vitamins. He also sought to shed some light on the stigmatization of pot, saying that the substance should not be associated with people who don’t like thinking or even sluggards.
“It’s really limiting to die without ever smoking weed or indulging in some way because my grandfather did and I don’t think he ever did. The thing is, once you’ve actually gone down that road, then you’ve subjected yourself to the other side of things and you’ve gotta start to see perspectives and just not limiting yourself to understanding those perspectives is a really big thing to me. Limiting yourself, in general, is a really big thing to me. Becoming conditioned and limiting yourself, it screws with me.”
Nick has had three marijuana-related offences against him in the state of Nevada in the past. He recently finished an 18-month suspension for a third marijuana-related offence.
