NBA Will Continue To Not Test Players for Marijuana

Somebody may need to check on JR Smith after this news dropped as the NBA will not be testing for marijuana use during the 2020-21 NBA season.

https://t.co/BQsU4H2cHi
— Ben Dowsett (@Ben_Dowsett) December 4, 2020

So if you have used in the past and the team thinks it's getting out of hand, you can be subject to a 'random' test. Under the new program a player has to test positive three times before facing suspension.

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver spoke with Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports on the topic and had this to say about his concerns:

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…

“On the other hand, there’s also guys in the league who are smoking a lot of pot. And then the question is, why are you smoking a lot of pot? And that’s where mental wellness comes in. Because I’ve also talked directly to players who say, “I’m smoking a lot of pot, because I have a lot of anxiety. And I’m struggling…

“Last part of this, I think when we change our policy, we have to be very careful, because clearly we’re going to be sending a message to a lot of young people. And at the end of the day, I think we all agree that, whether or not marijuana is a legal substance, just like with alcohol, you still have to teach young people how to use a substance like that appropriately and responsibly and so it doesn’t overwhelm your life. So, it’s a complicated issue.

There's no doubt the league will continue to monitor this program and ensure the league is supporting the players as much as possible.

Photo credit: Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire

NBA Twitter reacted to the news:

NBA not testing for weed this season Jr Smith going showing up to practice like pic.twitter.com/2IbhVHcRZE
— BiPolar Bear ❄️🐻 (@VandaYacht) December 3, 2020