Does it matter which recreational drug Kagiso Rabada tested positive for?
DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS Kagiso Rabada's positive test for cocaine, rather than marijuana, sparks debate on the differing perceptions and implications of recreational drug use in professional cricket. Picture credit: Michael Sherman/IOL
Image: Michael Sherman/Independent Media
When Kagiso Rabada announced he had tested positive for a banned recreational drug, the conversation quickly turned to which of the four possible substances it could have been.
As it turned out, the drug in question was cocaine. The other three drugs that it could have been were cannabis (marijuana), methamphetamine (meth) or diamorphine (heroin).
It seemed impossible that Rabada would have used meth or heroin, so it was between marijuana and cocaine.
In fact, I was convinced it was marijuana as I thought it would be the preferred way for professional cricketers to ‘unwind’ when they’re not competing. Also by the time Rabada made the announcement of the adverse finding, he had already served his one-month suspension, with no further action take by Cricket SA, and soon returned to India to take his place in the Gujarat Titans side in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Impact of Cocaine Confirmation on Sports Perception
However, now that it’s been confirmed - by the SA Institute of Drug Free Sport on Sunday - that it was cocaine, the question arises: Does it change anything?
Cocaine has been rumoured to provide some performance-enhancing benefits for sportspeople, but that’s been proved as completely false, hence its clarification as a recreational drug in cricket.
Still, it came as a surprise that it was cocaine and not marijuana. I was under the wrong perception that it was probably much the same as when Herschelle Gibbs was caught for smoking marijuana back in 2001 after beating hosts West Indies in a Test series.
Though most people remember Gibbs for this incident, other teammates Roger Telemachus, Paul Adams, Justin Kemp, and Andre Nel were also guilty of ‘smoking grass’ alongside the talented Proteas top-order batsman.
But I digress, the question still remains - is doing cocaine any more or less serious than smoking or ingesting marijuana?
To be fair, it’s not in my opinion. I’m just one person though, and whether it will matter more or less will vary greatly.
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