The Sports Tribunal has suspended rugby league player Sincere Harraway for one month after testing positive for THC, a psychoactive cannabinoid found in cannabis.

Mr Harraway was tested by Drug Free Sport New Zealand (DFSNZ) after playing for the Canterbury Bulls in the New Zealand Rugby League’s National Competitions Final in October 2021, at which time he declared he had used cannabis out of competition.

DFSNZ worked proactively with Mr Harraway to use new provisions under the Sports Anti-Doping Rules for the first time. These provisions, introduced following changes to the World Anti-Doping Code in 2021, established a new category of “Substances of Abuse”. This category recognises that some substances are frequently abused in society outside the context of sport. Sanctioning options are intended to help athletes address any wider substance issues by offering the opportunity to balance a reduced ban with completion of a Substance of Abuse Treatment Programme.

DFSNZ Chief Executive Nick Paterson said: “The rule changes enable us to be truly athlete-centred when it comes to substances of abuse, allowing us to support athletes to address underlying issues where they exist rather than pursuing lengthy bans from sport. This applies especially to cannabis, which we have long said is not performance enhancing although it remains prohibited in sport.

“In this case we have a pragmatic result for all involved and Mr Harraway can get back to sport, which has obvious positive health benefits. However, this is another cautionary tale for athletes, showing again that recreational drugs are still banned in sport and, if detected, can affect your playing future.”

Having established that Mr Harraway’s cannabis use was out-of-competition and not to enhance his performance, he has entered into a treatment programme to address his cannabis use. As a result, he was suspended for just one month, which was backdated to 8 February 2022. Mr Harraway has completed his ban and is free to participate in sport again.

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