At its meeting in Indianapolis, the Committee recommended governance bodies in all three NCAA divisions adopt legislation removing cannabinoids - the chemical substance derived from the cannabis plant - from the list of banned drug classes.

It claimed this followed "extensive study informed by industry and subject matter experts", and last year's Summit on Cannabinoids in College Athletics which deemed "cannabis is not a performance-enhancing drug" and a "harm-reduction approach to cannabis is best implemented at the school level".

It added the recommendations acknowledged the ineffectiveness of the current policy, affirmed the role of NCAA drug-testing programmes to address performance-enhancing substances, and emphasised the importance of a "harm-reduction strategy".

"When making a decision on an important topic like this, we agree that the membership should have an opportunity to vote on the final outcome," CSMAS chair James Houle said.

"We are recommending a big shift in the paradigm when it comes to cannabinoids.

"We want to modernise the strategy with the most up-to-date research to give schools the best opportunity to support the health of student-athletes."

Adoption of legislation would be the prerogative of the three NCAA divisions.

The CSMAS had expressed support for removing cannabinoids from the banned list in June, but was asked last month by the NCAA Board of Governors to pursue a legislative

Alongside the legislative recommendations, the CSMAS also advised a "robust educational strategy" alongside any change to legislation on cannabinoids.

Cannabis remains prohibited in-competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency, despite calls for its removal when American sprinter and recently crowned women's 100 metres world champion Sha'Carri Richardson was ruled out of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics after testing positive for the recreational drug, which is legal in many US states.