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College Football Student Ruled Ineligible to Play by NCAA

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[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]A[/dropcap]s remarkably proof of cannabis and its miracle-inducing qualities, one Georgia-based high school student on the brink of college, who has suffered from seizures since he was 14 years old, is seizure-free. While this is amazing news, it has come at a cost. The student is a promising athlete who was on board to play college football at his dream university—until the NCAA ruled that his cannabis consumption makes him ineligible to play.

CJ Harris has shown promise as a high school football player at Warner Robins High School, which is located in Robins, Georgia. He played strong safety on his high school team, which successfully won its way to the Georgia state championship game. This led to his early commitment to playing for Auburn University, which is located in Alabama.

But coaches at his dream college eventually notified him that he can’t play if he’s consuming cannabis. “When I read the text that one of the coaches sent me, I just, I broke down,” Harris told Fox24. “Because this is my dream, and I saw everything lining up perfectly for me.”

The NCAA rules for players specify that no athletes are allowed to have tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in their system. Harris’ epilepsy medicine contains a minimal 0.3 percent THC, which would still show up on a drug test.

It’s a difficult truth to come to terms with. Harris’ father, Curtis, found it especially hard to admit. “You’re taking something away from a kid who’s worked so hard in his life to get there,” he said. “And you’re just taking it away because he’s taking a medication that’s helping with his disability.”

But he’s not alone. Harris’ story has begun to gain national support. President and CEO of the Epilepsy Foundation, Phil Gattone, released a statement urging the NCAA to reconsider their position. “We urge the NCAA to review their existing guidelines on THC and explore possible exceptions to allow players under medical treatment, like C.J., the ability to fulfill their dreams of playing college football,” he said. “We hope the NCAA would reconsider their decision and assess C.J. on his character and talent as a football player.”

Additionally, Georgia Rep. Allen Peake has also joined the discussion. “We must fix this, cmon congress” he said on Twitter.

According to CNN, the NCAA has not commented on the situation. CBD medicine is legal both in Georgia as well as Alabama. Harris isn’t giving up on his dream to play football on the college level. Currently, he’s searching for other schools that offer similar programs that are not controlled by NCAA guidelines. “The FDA will vote in late June on whether to approve the drug, Epidiolex, an oral solution, for the treatment of severe forms of epilepsy in a small group of patients

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