NBA to continue policy of not testing players for marijuana

We all see which way this issue is trending, right?

While marijuana is still on its banned substance list, the NBA and players union agree to terms that would not text players in the Orlando restart bubble for pot. That is going to carry over to this season, reports Ben Dowsett.

Marijuana legalization is becoming more common nationwide. Recreational use is fully legal in 15 states plus the District of Columbia, and many other states have various levels of decriminalization or medical use allowances. With younger generations leaning much more heavily toward legalization, this trend is likely to continue across the nation.

The NBA has loosened its marijuana policies — a player has to test positive three times to earn a suspension — but Adam Silver said a year ago his concern was addiction, mental wellness, and in-season use (speaking with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports).

“But when I’ve talked to players about it, I think they have mixed feelings, some players. I think it’s not as much about what guys do in the summer. If they want to smoke pot in the summer, whatever. It’s legal in a lot of states, to your point. No issue. I do think there’s a little bit of concern about some of the pot smoking in-season. I think it’s a team sport, and I think part of the reason we have the rules in place, there was a time not so long ago when there were a group of players who felt – because, ultimately, the players association has to agree on any testing – that maybe there was too much pot being smoked in-season…”

[Read more at NBC Sports]