Should WADA remove the illicit drugs from the prohibited list ?

Abstract

In this special issue, the papers of Waddington, Christiansen, Gleaves, Hoberman, & Møller (2013) and Henne, Koh, & McDermott (2013) propose two opposite positions concerning the removal of illicit drugs from the WADA prohibited list. On the one side, Waddington et al. argue in favour of the INHDR call for WADA to remove illicit drugs from in-competition prohibition, and on the other side, Henne et al. provide the opposite position. From my point of view, the removal of illicit drugs from the prohibited list would be a mistake in the anti-doping fight. I reviewed the argu- ments of Waddington et al. that the ‘social’ drugs are not used to enhance performance but are used for ‘recreational purposes’ only. However, if we want to protect the athletes’ health and the positive image of sport, I believe the best way forward is to keep the ‘social drugs’ on the prohibited list.