Unpleasant Smell of Marijuana Lingers at US Open Matches

An unusual event, smiling, but also uncomfortable, occurred during some matches at the US Open, the last Grand Slam of the tennis season. Different players complained about the smell of marijuana cigarettes that filtered through the courts of the complex, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. “The smell, oh my God… I think it was weed (marijuana) and the smell was coming from the park,” eighth-seeded Maria Sakkari of Greece, for example, told the chair umpire during her match on court 17, in which she lost -surprisingly- with the Spanish Rebeka Masarova (71st) by a double 6-4.

The Greek Maria Sakkari was one of the protagonists who drew attention due to the smell of marijuana in the airCharles Krupa – AP

In the post-match press conference, Sakkari elaborated on his comment to the referee: “It was cannabis. It didn’t affect me in any way, it was just a comment, it has nothing to do with the game”. The Greek tennis player added that she had also smelled it the day before, “in training, but it is irrelevant. We can’t control it, there’s a park behind it and people can do what they want. You don’t think about it, the only thing that matters to you is winning the game. I didn’t pay much attention to it.”

“Smell from the park”

Also the French Adrian Mannarino, seeded 22nd, referred to the subject after defeating the Japanese Yosuke Watanuki on court 9: “You have to face it, it is true that the smell is not pleasant. In the four corners of the court there are slightly different smells. It can be grass on one side, shit on the other… It’s not necessarily easy, but you have to do it”.

Recreational cannabis (marijuana) use is legal for adults in New York State. People 21 and older can “smoke or vape” cannabis in most places where tobacco smoking is allowed. In March 2021, the New York district joined 14 other states in the United States that already allowed the use of cannabis. At that time, the state’s governor, Andrew Cuomo, signed the reform into law, on what he called “a historic day.”

The state of New York approved the law that legalizes the recreational use of marijuanaArchivo Revista Jardin

New York also removed the records of people previously convicted of marijuana-related crimes who are no longer convicted. The law also waived fines for possession of up to 85 grams of the drug, the new personal possession limit.

Recreational marijuana use is permitted in New York, although it cannot be consumed inside the USTA National Center as it is a smoke-free facility.

Nick Kyrgios, in 2022 at the US Open, complained about the smell of marijuanaAdam Hunger – FRE

It is not the first time that a tennis player at the US Open expresses smelling marijuana. That aroma often reaches the courts from Corona Park, a park next to the tennis complex, where many young people -and also homeless people from the Queen’s neighborhood- usually travel. Last year Australian Nick Kyrgios (absent this season due to injury) was very upset by the “smell of pot” during his second round match against Frenchman Benjamin Bonzi, to the point that he asked umpire Jaume Campistol to issued a warning to the public of the stadium.

Times Square, symbolic site of New York if anyUNSPLASH

“People don’t know it, but I am asthmatic. When I run from side to side I have a hard time breathing and marijuana is possibly not something I want to breathe in between points,” Kyrgios said at the time. But the US Open authorities do not have much to do to change it.

THE NATION

Conocé The Trust Project
2023-08-30 14:57:00
#Marijuana #legal #problem #Open #players #complained #smell #seeped #courts