Rugby league player Shane Tuohey serves one-month ban for Anti-Doping Rule Violation
Rugby league player Shane Tuohey has served a one-month ban from all World Anti-Doping Code-compliant sport, following an Anti-Doping Rule Violation (ADRV) for the presence of a Prohibited Substance or its Metabolite or Markers. At the time of this announcement, Mr Tuohey is free to resume participation in sport.
On 29 March 2026, UK Anti-Doping (UKAD) collected a urine Sample from Mr Tuohey, In-Competition, at the Betfred Championship match between Rochdale Hornets and Goole Vikings. Analysis of Mr Tuohey’s Sample returned an Adverse Analytical Finding (AAF) for carboxy-THC, a Metabolite of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive compound found in cannabis.
THC is prohibited In-Competition only and is listed as a cannabinoid at S8 of the 2026 World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) Prohibited List. THC is also identified as a ‘Substance of Abuse’. Athletes who test positive for a Substance of Abuse may receive a reduced three-month ban, if they can prove that they ingested the substance Out-of-Competition and in a context unrelated to sport performance. This period of Ineligibility can be reduced further to one-month if the Athlete completes an approved Substance of Abuse treatment programme.
UKAD notified Mr Tuohey of the AAF and imposed a Provisional Suspension. The player admitted to smoking cannabis and said that his last ingestion occurred at approximately 1:50pm on 28 March 2026, the day before the match, in a context unrelated to sport.
UKAD instructed an independent scientific expert to assess the player’s account. The expert concluded that it was likely that Mr Tuohey’s last ingestion of THC took place Out-of-Competition (i.e., before 11:59pm on 28 March 2026).
UKAD subsequently charged Mr Tuohey with an ADRV pursuant to ADR Article 2.1 (presence of a Prohibited Substance or its Metabolites or Markers). Mr Tuohey admitted the ADRV and later provided UKAD with evidence that he had completed a Substance of Abuse treatment programme. After reviewing this evidence, UKAD was satisfied that Mr Tuohey had completed an approved treatment programme and qualified for a reduced one-month period of Ineligibility.
Affording Mr Tuohey credit for the time spent provisionally suspended, Mr Tuohey’s one-month ban is deemed to have commenced on 14 May 2026 (the date the Provisional Suspension was imposed) and expired on 13 June 2026, leaving Mr Tuohey free to compete in sport again.
Technical terms and more information
Please note, unless otherwise indicated or the context otherwise requires, capitalised terms used in this announcement have the meaning given to them in the UK Anti-Doping Rules and/or World Anti-Doping Code.
Substances of Abuse definition: See Article 3.2.3 of the UK Anti-Doping Rules.
