Should Josh Hamilton be suspended?

The other day I read that Josh Hamilton had a relapse involved in cocaine use. Hamilton was addicted to alcohol and cocaine in the past. He was out of baseball between 2003 and 2005 when he was under contract of the (back then) Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization.

Hamilton admitted the relapse to Major League Baseball and now MLB is mulling on the number of games that he should be suspended.

But should he be suspended? Sure it is a drug that is on MLB’s  list with forbidden substances. I had to look up the effects of cocaine and one of them is an improved motor activity. The effects may last for an hour at most, so not enough for a complete game.

Does a player that uses cocaine do this because of the aforementioned effects? I don’t think so (correct me if I am wrong). In general cocaine use causes a feeling of well being and euphoria. So tatking that into consideration, I don’t think Hamilton should be suspended. He will need time to rehab anyway, so those days are lost for him as a player.

I know that some players used marihuana to relax and the substance was found in their blood as well. Result, a fifty game suspension. Do they use marihuana to improve their game. No. So I also think that these players should have been suspended either. As long as they are not stoned when on the field, what is the problem?

I realize that because cocaine is a forbidden substance in real life as well, it is a difficult matter. Why should MLB treat cocaine users differently than in real life? But even then I don’t see a reason to suspend a player who is using that stuff.

Just my two cents.