The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed to suspend randomized tests for marijuana during the 2020-21 season.
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 4, 2020
đź“°: https://t.co/EcGKVgMvMR pic.twitter.com/m0JhSTC8yD
I know somewhere JR Smith has a blunt in hand celebrating. Another notch in the belt for the NBA and Adam Silver. As more Americans are more okay with weed being legalized and laws continue to change for medicinal and recreational use across the country this was an obvious step. The NBA is far from perfect they do a lot of shit right and they usually do it early.
With the NFL just lifting Josh Gordon’s suspension to make him eligible to play in Week 16 this year it makes you think how these billion dollar companies should be doing better. Should Gordon have stopped smoking the first 5 times he got suspended? Probably but there is no reason other than money to even test for weed in sports leagues. Some of these guys smoke for fun obviously but some of them don’t want to take highly addictive opioids for the pain caused by their job.
Then you have guys like Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes who have opened up but it since they retired. Al Harrington owns a dispensary, that’s how he’s spending his retirement. It is time for these leagues to fully escape the dark ages.
Also, this JUST happened after I published the blog.
BREAKING: US House votes 228-164 to pass historic bill that would decriminalize cannabis and clear the way to erase nonviolent federal marijuana convictions; bill moves to US Senate. pic.twitter.com/ZcRgdSN9ez
— NBC News (@NBCNews) December 4, 2020