Support, debate pours in after American player handed two-year suspension for marijuana

Tennis fans and players took to social media in a frenzy this week after the news of American player Casey Kania’s two-year suspension for marijuana, which generated plenty of debate as well as a wave of support for the 21-year-old.

The International Tennis Integrity Agency announced on Tuesday that it had suspended Kania after an in-competition urine test in August 2023 at an ATP Challenger in Cary, North Carolina was found to contain marijuana.

As users questioned marijuana’s debatable performance enhancing abilities in tennis, Britain’s Liam Broady took to X to call the suspension “a joke”.

“What a joke. Really going after the big fish here,” Broady wrote, adding a ‘laughing hysterically’ emoji. “I’d pay a lot of money to see somebody playing better tennis in THAT heat in Cary after smoking a joint.”

That seemed to be the sentiment shared by most users reacting on social media, who hit out at the ITIA for what many considered an excessive ban. But according to the ITIA, a two-year ban could be seen as a show of leniency toward Kania.

From the Associated Press report:

…Kania was unable to show he bore no fault for the violation, but the agency said it did accept that the player “did not intentionally breach the provisions” of the sport’s anti-doping program. That was the reason for a two-year ban, the ITIA said; an intentional violation is punishable by a four-year suspension.

That didn’t stop players and fans from sharing their disbelief and outrage toward the suspension, while others questioned the ITIA’s priorities.

“Thank god they caught this unranked guy for smoking weed,” was Thai-Son Kwiatkowski’s sarcastic response as he reshared the tweet. “Was (definitely) giving him an edge over the competition. Way more important than all the dudes on tour taking amphetamines. Sport is safe now.”

Kwiatkowski’s tweet got a lot of attention as it references concerns shared by a growing number of American players, who have called out the use of ADHD medication on the pro tour. Stimulant medications like Adderall are on the World Anti-Doping Agency’s (WADA) prohibited list, but are allowed in competition under . It’s a system that has been scrutinized over the years as the medications bring improved attention and focus, and prescriptions for them are usually easy for athletes to obtain—an issue that has also plagued baseball throughout the years.

The No. 291-ranked American went on to clarify his tweet, saying: “I’m not advocating for weed to be legal, I’m saying the doping agency loves to waste time with this stuff instead of the huge number of players actually taking performance enhancers.”

This was echoed by world No. 270 Tennys Sandgren, who replied “Weed>adderall” while retired American player Nicole Gibbs jumped in with, “But also… weed should be legal.”

Kania’s suspension began on February 2 and will expire on February 1, 2026. His results, ranking points and prize money from the Cary event ($482) and at all subsequent tournaments were also forfeited.