NBA Will Allow Players To Use Cannabis

LOS ANGELES–The National Basketball Association (NBA) and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) have reached a deal to no longer randomly test players for cannabis, as reported by The Athletic. The agreement is part of a seven-year collective bargaining agreement that still needs to be ratified by players and team governors before taking effect.

In addition to the end of random cannabis testing, the agreement will allow players to invest in NBA and Women’s NBA (WNBA) teams, as well as invest in and promote sports betting and cannabis companies. The terms of the deal will be made available once a term sheet is finalized, according to the NBPA.

The NBA has suspended random cannabis testing for the past three seasons but has now formally codified the end of such testing. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke to NBC when the testing was first suspended in 2020, saying, “We decided that, given all the things that were happening in society, given all the pressures and stress that players were under, that we didn’t need to act as Big Brother right now. I think society’s views around marijuana has changed to a certain extent.”

The deal was praised by Tamika Tremaglio, executive director of the NBPA, who tweeted, “Since day one, the goal of the NBPA in this negotiation was to protect our players, enrich their lives on and off the court, and establish a framework that recognizes our players as true partners with the governors in both the NBA and the business world at large.”

Several prominent players, including Kevin Durant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Allen Iverson, have spoken publicly about their cannabis use and called for its legalization, according to Insider.