Professional basketball players who consume cannabis can rest easy without worrying about drug tests.
The NBA and the NBA Players Association settled on a new collective bargaining agreement, which will come into effect ahead of next season. The Athletic's Shams Charania reported that part of the agreement pertains to cannabis use. The NBA will no longer include cannabis in its drug testing program, meaning cannabis will not be considered a banned substance under the agreement.
In 2020, when the NBA was playing in a "bubble" due to the coronavirus pandemic, the league temporarily suspended testing for cannabis. Under the new agreement, that policy will become permanent.
This move brings the NBA in line with Major League Baseball, which removed cannabis from its list of prohibited substances in 2019.
Other major sports leagues are somewhat behind the NBA and MLB. The NHL no longer punishes players for positive tests, though it still tests for cannabis. The NFL still punishes players who test positive, though it has replaced suspensions with fines.
League cannabis policy doesn't matter for the Spokane Chiefs, as their roster is composed of players under 21 years old. Minor League Baseball followed the policy of the majors, meaning cannabis is not prohibited for players on the Spokane Indians who are 21 or older.
"I think society's views around marijuana have changed to a certain extent," NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said when the league temporarily suspended cannabis testing in 2020.
Those changing views are evident when looking at where the vast majority of professional sports franchises are located.
Among the four major sports leagues in the United States and Canada, 72 of the 124 teams are located where recreational cannabis is legal, and an additional 31 are in states where medical marijuana is legal.
While Silver's comments when the NBA temporarily suspended cannabis testing suggested a focus on player well-being, stating that the league did not need to play a "big brother" role when it comes to cannabis, it's worth remembering that these leagues are massive moneymaking enterprises. With 83 percent of their teams in legal markets, anti-cannabis policy can also be seen as anti-cash policy.
From 2019 through 2021, the Portland Thorns of the National Women's Soccer League were sponsored by a CBD company. Last year, MLB announced a partnership with Charlotte's Web as the official CBD of the league. In the NBA, many current and former players have partnerships with cannabis companies, including Supersonics legend Shawn Kemp, who owns two dispensaries in Seattle. ♦
