Shell
05-08-2003, 01:07 PM
wow I had no idea he was banned from coming here because of test results. Marijuana stays in your body for 30 days, what if he did it somewhere where it is legal, would we still not allow him in our country? (while welcoming al qaeda with open arms). He lives in another country and was tested in yet another.. why is he not allowed here?
Thu, May 8, 2003
Stoned-walled
Rebagliati's career out of joint since marijuana test
By STEVE BUFFERY, TORONTO SUN
Ross Rebagliati became the butt of many jokes after he tested positive for marijuana at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
You know, stuff like: They should offer the snowboard champion a box of chocolate eclairs, not a gold medal. Or, Rebagliati is great on snow and on grass.
Shortly after being stripped of his gold medal, the International Olympic Committee reinstated the snowboard dude. Other than angering a few conservatives, his positive test for marijuana was not considered a crime worthy of 25 years in prison or anything like that.
Unfortunately, that positive test haunts Rebagliati to this day and has, in fact, prevented him from pursuing many of his post-Olympic dreams.
The worst fallout is that the Whistler, B.C., resident is still banned from visiting the U.S. and that severely has affected his ability to make a living. Rebagliati left the pro snowboard circuit in 2000 mainly because he was unable to compete in the U.S. events.
Rebagliati, 31, was turned back at the American border prior to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics as a result of his marijuana positive -- even though he never was charged or convicted of anything. It took a special dispensation for the snowboard legend to attend the Games as a spectator.
"It went all the way to Washington, D.C., to get me in the country," Rebagliati said yesterday during a news conference to launch a line of Roots sportswear to honour the Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Olympic bid. "It's ongoing, I'm just trying to play my cards right and not ruffle too many feathers."
Rebagliati has retained a lawyer in an effort to have his ban rescinded, so if there is work to be had south of the border, he can grab it.
It goes without saying that Rebagliati is all for the Canadian government's plans to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot.
"The whole idea of it being decriminalized makes the legal system function at a level it should be functioning at and not clogging up the courts, judicial system and even jails," he said. "It's becoming more socially accepted now than it ever has been in the past."
Rebagliati still spends most of his time in Whistler, where he is building a house with his girlfriend, Jennifer. When not acting as an ambassador for the Vancouver bid -- his reason for being in Toronto yesterday -- Rebagliati spends his time snowboarding in the winter and, in the summer, playing golf and racing stock cars. In fact, his "wild dream" is to pursue car racing or golf as a full-time occupation. If that doesn't work out, he would like to get into show biz, or perhaps real estate. The IOC votes on the host site for the 2010 Winter Games on July 2. Vancouver/Whistler is considered one of the favourites.
Thu, May 8, 2003
Stoned-walled
Rebagliati's career out of joint since marijuana test
By STEVE BUFFERY, TORONTO SUN
Ross Rebagliati became the butt of many jokes after he tested positive for marijuana at the 1998 Nagano Olympics.
You know, stuff like: They should offer the snowboard champion a box of chocolate eclairs, not a gold medal. Or, Rebagliati is great on snow and on grass.
Shortly after being stripped of his gold medal, the International Olympic Committee reinstated the snowboard dude. Other than angering a few conservatives, his positive test for marijuana was not considered a crime worthy of 25 years in prison or anything like that.
Unfortunately, that positive test haunts Rebagliati to this day and has, in fact, prevented him from pursuing many of his post-Olympic dreams.
The worst fallout is that the Whistler, B.C., resident is still banned from visiting the U.S. and that severely has affected his ability to make a living. Rebagliati left the pro snowboard circuit in 2000 mainly because he was unable to compete in the U.S. events.
Rebagliati, 31, was turned back at the American border prior to the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics as a result of his marijuana positive -- even though he never was charged or convicted of anything. It took a special dispensation for the snowboard legend to attend the Games as a spectator.
"It went all the way to Washington, D.C., to get me in the country," Rebagliati said yesterday during a news conference to launch a line of Roots sportswear to honour the Vancouver/Whistler 2010 Olympic bid. "It's ongoing, I'm just trying to play my cards right and not ruffle too many feathers."
Rebagliati has retained a lawyer in an effort to have his ban rescinded, so if there is work to be had south of the border, he can grab it.
It goes without saying that Rebagliati is all for the Canadian government's plans to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot.
"The whole idea of it being decriminalized makes the legal system function at a level it should be functioning at and not clogging up the courts, judicial system and even jails," he said. "It's becoming more socially accepted now than it ever has been in the past."
Rebagliati still spends most of his time in Whistler, where he is building a house with his girlfriend, Jennifer. When not acting as an ambassador for the Vancouver bid -- his reason for being in Toronto yesterday -- Rebagliati spends his time snowboarding in the winter and, in the summer, playing golf and racing stock cars. In fact, his "wild dream" is to pursue car racing or golf as a full-time occupation. If that doesn't work out, he would like to get into show biz, or perhaps real estate. The IOC votes on the host site for the 2010 Winter Games on July 2. Vancouver/Whistler is considered one of the favourites.