Ronda Rousey speaks against marijuana policy, Diaz suspension

Ronda Rousey took a stand against the Nevada State commission's marijuana policy and Nick Diaz's five-year suspension for a failed drug test.

Ronda Rousey took a stand against the Nevada State commission's marijuana policy and Nick Diaz's five-year suspension for a failed drug test.

The UFC women's bantamweight champion, while promoting her next fight, Nov. 14 against Holly Holm, took the moment to address Diaz's punishment and the commission's overall drug policy.

“I’m sorry, no one asked me anything, but I have to say something. It’s so not right for [Diaz] to be suspended five years for marijuana,” Rousey said. “I’m against them testing for weed at all. It’s not a performance-enhancing drug, it has nothing to do with the competition and it’s only because of political reasons they say, ‘Oh it’s only for your safety to keep you from hurting yourself because you’re out there.’ You know what, then why don’t they test for all of the other things that could possibly hurt us, that we could be under the influence of while we’re out there? There’s no reason for them to be testing for weed.”

[youtube:https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=138&v=pgjdhAYZOXE]

Rousey admitted that Diaz is a close friend (the two have trained together in the past), but drew a clear distinction between the punishments for steroid usage (“that could actually really hurt a person,”) and marijuana (“a plant that makes [people] happy.”) “[Diaz] gets suspended for five years, whereas the guy who could have hurt someone so much that he could have died in there gets a slap on the wrist.”

The commission's handling of Diaz's case and ruling have been widely criticized, and he will appeal the sanctions.

• MORE: Diaz lands five-year suspension for marijuana use

- Jeremy Woo