Rory McIlroy 'paranoid' about drug testing
Rory McIlroy has said that he is 'paranoid' about the prospect of failing drugs tests following Matt Every suspension.
Rory McIlroy is currently playing in the ZOZO Championship, the first PGA Tour event to take place in Japan, where he shot a two-over-par opening round of 72. Prior to the tournament, McIlroy shed some light on his thoughts on doping in the sport, following the three-month suspension of Matt Every.
Every has been suspended by the PGA Tour for testing positive for cannabis, a drug he says that he is prescribed for due to a mental health condition.
RELATED: Matt Every suspended for testing positive for cannabis
Cannabis is prohibited, but a lot of players use CBD substances as the World Anti-Doping Agency dropped the cannabis compound from its list of banned substances last year.
The PGA Tour has warned players to use CBD "at their own risk" due to the fact that a lot of the products may contain THC, which is a banned substance.
Some people believe that the use of CBD product should be banned, regardless of whether it contains THC or not, as it reduces anxiety, which some are saying is performance enhancing. CBD products also supposedly reduce inflammation, help with sleeplessness and also chronic paid.
“I’m very aware of the banned substance list,” McIlroy told the media ahead of the ZOZO Championship.
“I’m very careful with what I put into my body and I couldn’t tell you if CBD oil is good for golfers because I’ve never tried it.
“It’s tough because I take a very strong stance on performance-enhancing drugs or banned substances. I wouldn’t be comfortable taking CBD oil. I would be too paranoid that there would be THC in it and then that obviously could lead to a positive test.
“I am the most conservative (person) on everything. I try not to take anything in terms of pills to help in any way. I’m even scared to take painkillers sometimes, like an Advil, I would rather just not.”
