Garrigus after marijuana suspension: 'Why are we testing for it?'
Robert Garrigus is set to return to the PGA Tour after he was given a three-month suspension in March for marijuana use.
Prior to teeing off at the 3M Open this week, the 41-year-old discussed his punishment, one he doesn't think was warranted since the drug has been legalized in multiple states and can be prescribed for medical purposes.
"If you have some sort of pain and CBD or THC may help that, and you feel like it can help you and be prescribed by a doctor, then what are we doing?" Garrigus said, according to Golf Channel's Will Gray. "If you are (testing) marijuana then we should be testing for alcohol, too. If you can buy it in a store, then why are we testing for it?"
Garrigus was prescribed medical marijuana to treat knee and back pain. However, despite his best efforts, he failed to keep his THC levels - one of the active ingredients in marijuana - within PGA Tour guidelines.
He's now hoping to get marijuana removed from the Tour's list of banned substances because it "doesn't help you get it in the hole" like other performance-enhancing drugs might.
"I don't cheat the game," Garrigus added. "I understand HGH (Human Growth Hormone), anything you are trying to do to cheat the game you should be suspended for 100 percent. Everything else should be a discussion."
Garrigus, who owns a marijuana farm in Washington State where the drug is legal, will meet with PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan at next week's John Deere Classic to discuss the topic, according to Golf Channel's Todd Lewis.
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