ABSTRACT
In the world of sport, most of the discussion concerning the use of drugs by participants focuses on their use for performance enhancement. However, the realisation that professional sportsmen,1 along with countless other members of their generation(s), from all walks of life, might use drugs for purely recreational purposes became part of the public domain in the summer of 1986. This was the year in which national hero Ian Botham was banned from test match cricket as a result of a conviction for the possession of cannabis. It is worth recording that Botham did return for the final test of the summer against New Zealand. He took the wicket of Bruce Edgar with his first ball, and then went on to overtake Dennis Lillee’s record of 355 test wickets. Whether Ian Botham ever consumed cannabis after his conviction is unknown (and is no one else’s business). However, the incident does suggest that the use of mind altering drugs might not necessarily impair sporting performance at the highest level.
