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Elias Theodorou received his long-sought exemption. Theodorou’s management company Paradigm Sports Management released a statement on Tuesday announcing that the UFC veteran made history by becoming the first MMA fighter to receive Therapeutic Use Authorization (TUE) for medical cannabis. The 31-year-old Canadian obtained the TUE from the British Columbia Athletic Commission.
According to the statement, Theodorou's exemption allows him “to continue his use prescribed by the doctor of medicinal cannabis and protects him from sanctions if he tests above the previous threshold for use in competition. He will follow the guidelines provided by the sports commission regarding medical use during the week of combat."
Theodorou is a strong advocate of medicinal cannabis and believes that it benefits fighters in a different way from traditional pharmaceuticals. He made several attempts to obtain a TUE while under contract with the UFC, but the promotion's anti-doping partner, the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), aka FOJJ (Friends of Jon Jones), denied his requests.
"What I'm trying to do with medical cannabis is to offer myself an alternative," said Theodorou in an interview with TSN in October 2018. "It's a very individual aspect as it relates to my personal medication and it is prescribed by a doctor. My doctor thinks cannabis is good for me and, as part of the process, I had to run out of all the other first-line drugs, whether it's opioids or other types of pain relievers and side effects were just as bad, if not worse, than the disease I have."
In competition, most cannabinoids are banned; however, WADA added cannabidiol (CBD) to its list of exemptions in 2019. Now that it has received BCAC approval, Theodorou is determined to continue to progress on this front.
"I am grateful, as a patient and athlete, for having approved my medical cannabis TUE by the BC Athletic Commission, recognizing my fundamental Canadian right to medication as prescribed by my doctor," Theodorou said in the release. "I remain committed to fighting the negative stigma of medical cannabis, not only for myself but for all athletes."
https://www.breakingnews.fr/sport/m...ion-daut-pour-le-cannabis-medical-254666.html
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