Cynthia Calvillo Sounds Off About Failed Marijuana Test
UFC strawweight Cynthia Calvillo tested positive for marijuana following her fight at UFC 219, and the fallout has been confusing and disheartening, according to Calvillo herself.
Calvillo holds a medical marijuana card in her home state of California, and competed at UFC 219, which was held in Las Vegas, Nevada, where medicinal marijuana is also legal. However, USADA forbids it regardless of legality or medical permission, which has naturally caused some confusion for fighters like Calvillo.
She discussed the failed test on Monday’s episode of The MMA Hour and revealed that she has lost a sponsor due to the fallout:
“I really didn’t think I was doing anything wrong. I’m not trying to be a rebel, just, I don’t know. It just really, really sucks that I’m in this position right now.”
“They say you have to be literally pretty super, super high in order to test positive the day of the fight. There’s no way in hell I smoked or took any cannabis the week of my fight at all. Let alone the day of my fight.”
“They tell us, like, they’re comfortable about how much time you would need to be cleared for in-competition testing. The last time I had consumed cannabis was on Christmas Eve, which was the week of the fight. I usually use it for sleeping, I use it for inflammation, I have had my medical card for over two years. It’s something I’ve used especially because I had an injury where I broke arm my three times in a row, and so I use it for the medical component and cannabis, CBD does help heal your bones. I was also having trouble sleeping for a long time [and it’s] better than using over-the counter stuff.”
Many athletes have praised the use of cannabis and CBD oil for recovery after grueling trainings and workouts. Nate Diaz even boldly vaped CBD oil at a post-fight press conference, so it’s use is at least somewhat prevelant amongst MMA fighters.
Calvillo was retroactively suspended for nine months from the December 30 fight date and was fined 15 percent of her fight purse following her loss to Carla Esparza at UFC 219.
Do you think Calvillo’s punishment is too harsh considering she has a medicinal marijuana card in her home state?
