06-03-2025
Claressa Shields shouldn't face marijuana penalty. Michigan must fix regulations.
Michigan is ahead of many other states when it comes to marijuana, and how to stop punishing its users.
Voters made cannabis legal for medical use in 2008 and recreational use in 2018. And in 2021, the Clean Slate Act allowed for expungement of pre-2018 marijuana convictions.
But the changes have not made their way to the state's regulations around combat sports, leading to last month's ludicrous suspension of one of Michigan's greatest athletes, potentially tarnishing her spotless reputation for clean competition.
Claressa Shields, arguably the world's best active boxer, was suspended by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on behalf of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission after testing positive for a trace amount of marijuana. Shields said via social media that she's never used the drug, and is fighting the suspension.
The state's order of suspension absurdly calls Shields' supposed conduct "an imminent threat to the integrity of the sport of professional boxing" and to "the public interest."
The conflict between Michigan's marijuana laws and its boxing regulations is an embarrassing oversight that has left the state lagging behind the times, with stricter rules around marijuana detection than the NCAA and the Olympics.
Changing that ought to be an easy fix for the Michigan Legislature.
More: Claressa Shields says she's never used weed. Did secondhand smoke cause failed drug test?
Last month, Claressa Shields became the first human ever to earn the title of undisputed world boxing champion in three different weight classes.
If you're not a boxing fan, the incredible nature of that accomplishment may not quite be clear.
Professional boxing is run, sloppily, by several different governing bodies: the WBO, WBC, WBA and IBF, which are sort of analogous to football's NFC and the AFC, if there were no NFL, and they didn't really get along.
It's incredibly rare for a boxer to arrange and win bouts with all of the fighters wearing the top championship belts issued by each organization.
Shields has spent the last eight years traveling the U.S. and the U.K., beating the tar out of all the other champions and contenders, unifying all the belts, moving up in weight and then doing it all again — and again.
Along the way, she ventured into an entirely different sport, fighting three times in mixed martial arts, somehow winning twice, including a knockout.
Her latest triumph came Feb. 2 in her home town of Flint, where she outboxed, knocked down and soundly defeated a significantly bigger heavyweight, cementing her dominance in a third weight class and her place in the professional boxing history books.
Immediately after the fight, a mouth swab drug test was administered ― tests are given at random ― and Shields tested positive for marijuana metabolite, according to an order of suspension issued by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs. While the results of the initial mouth swab haven't been officially released, Shields revealed on social media the test showed 3.4 nanograms per milliliter of marijuana metabolite in her system — considered a miniscule amount by most standards.
Two other boxers on the same Feb. 2 card also tested positive for marijuana after fighting, a number the show promoter told USA Today boxing writer Josh Peter is unusual for a single event. One of them, like Shields, also paid for an independent urine test that showed no marijuana in his system, providing those results to Peter.
A Free Press writer who covered the event confirmed reports that weed smoke was noticeable throughout the arena that night, and it isn't inconceivable that second-hand exposure may have played a role in those test results.
An automatic suspension of Shields' Michigan boxing license was issued Feb. 12 as a result of the positive test, making international news and confusing many who were under the impression Michigan was ahead of the game on marijuana regulation.
She's disputing the results of the test, saying via social media that she has never used marijuana and presenting clean results of a urine test taken six days after the fight. If you're tempted to roll your eyes at Shields' insistence that she doesn't partake, consider the two-time Olympic gold medalist has been training at the highest levels since she was 11.
Introduced to the sport at the Berston Field House, a storied Flint community center, Shields has maintained the rigorous discipline required to compete in the world's most elite competitions for almost two decades, with a previously unsullied record.
State officials say they can't talk about Shields' case because it's still being adjudicated.
But it's almost offensive that outdated regulations might land any athlete in this position.
While it's hard to argue that marijuana could be a performance-enhancing drug, a case can certainly be made that being high on marijuana during a fight could hinder and endanger a competitor.
But no one is making that case.
Many sports organizations have changed their rules around testing in recent years to keep with changing perceptions of the drug. The NCAA lifted its ban on cannabis use for college athletes last year, canceling penalties for past violations.
The World Anti-Doping Agency, which coordinates drug policy for international sporting events including the Olympics, allows a threshold of 150 ng/ml of marijuana metabolite. That's about about 44 times the amount Shields says she's accused of having in her system.
Boxing commissions across the country have also evolved with the times, said Michael Mazzuli, Connecticut-based president of the Association of Boxing Commissions.
"There are not many states or tribal commissions that test for marijuana," he said. "... I just don't want it to adversely affect a fighter's career. Their careers are so short."
In Michigan, it's legal for anyone over 21 to purchase and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana at a time. But state law still classifies "marihuana" as a Schedule 1 controlled substance, Schedule 2 "if it is manufactured, obtained, stored, dispensed, possessed, grown, or disposed of" legally.
And the law that governs unarmed combat in Michigan simply bars competitors and officials in boxing and mixed martial arts from having any presence of a controlled substance in their systems during a bout.
Any positive test results, regardless of the amount, result in an automatic suspension processed by the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs on behalf of the Michigan Unarmed Combat Commission.
The commission is made up of 11 unpaid members appointed by the governor who meet several times a year, typically voting to approve previously negotiated penalties for fighters accused of violating state rules. Members of the commission don't weigh in immediately on a drug-related suspension, but could ultimately decide Shields' fate. If the results of the drug test and the suspension are upheld, the commission could levy fines or impose penalties in addition to the suspension.
Shields is scheduled for a Thursday meeting with an assistant attorney general, where she'll seek to have her suspension revoked. A hearing with an administrative law judge could follow, said LARA spokesperson Abby Rubley.
The commission's next meeting is March 13, but Shields' case is not on the agenda.
Even if the results of those mouth swab tests taken the night of the event were ironclad, the presence of tiny amounts of a perfectly legal, non-performance-enhancing drug is no reason to halt the careers of Michigan combat athletes.
Michigan boxing fans can only hope that as Shields' fame continues to grow around the world, she'll keep going out of her way to fight in her home state, rather than opting for more lucrative paydays elsewhere.
In the meantime — there's got to be a boxing fan somewhere in the state Capitol.
Khalil AlHajal is deputy editorial page editor of the Detroit Free Press. Contact: kalhajal@ Submit a letter to the editor at and we may publish it online and in print.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: MI must fix weed regulations. Shields shouldn't be punished | Opinion
