The NBA Throws in the Towel on Marijuana Testing Its Players
In breaking NBA news reported by ESPN and NBA reporter Adrain Wojnarowski, the NBA will no longer conduct random marijuana testing for players in the 2021-22 season. The NBA will continue to test for performance enhancing drugs and other schedule 1 drugs, but marijuana will no longer be part of the 5 panel drug test screens.
NBA spokesman Mike Bass said, "Due to the unusual circumstances in conjunction with the pandemic, we have agreed with the NBPA to suspend random testing for marijuana for the 2020-21 season and focus our random testing program on performance-enhancing products and drugs of abuse”.
The NBA and its players have long been associated with cannabis use as a means to help with muscle pain and fatigue from a long grueling schedule. With the likes of Amazon recently dropping marijuana testing for it’s employees and drivers, the NBA sees little reason to test for marijuana as it has no performance enhancing markers that drug testing and performance experts monitor for on a regular basis. The Word Anti-Doping Agency is also reviewing its cannabis testing position in the wake of Olympian Sha’carri Richardson’s recent failed marijuana drug test within 30 days of the Olympics.
The NBA will be back to full crowds in stadiums this year with mask required and vaccine verification at many NBA arenas.
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