The Fall of 2021 has been very good to the realm of cannabis and professional sports. Recently, NBA Hall of Famer Chris Webber broke ground for what will become a dispensary in Detroit, MI. The agency responsible for governing track and field stars like stoner Sha’Carri Richardson recently announced they will take it easy on cannabis-related offenses in the future. NFL stoner posterchild Josh Gordon is back active (and starting) for the 2021 NFL season. Recently, the NBA announced they would cease random drug tests regarding cannabis. Things are coming up green for cannabis and professional sports.
NBA ceases random drug tests for weed
The National Basketball Association has consented to not randomly test athletes for cannabis during the 2021-22 NBA season. If this sounds a bit familiar, then it is because it happened recently. The policy extends the order that was put in effect last Fall for the COVID-19 “bubble” season. Last week, Spokesperson for the National Basketball Association Mike Bass stated:
“We have [come to terms] with the [National Basketball Players Association] to extend the [stoppage] of random testing for [cannabis] for the 2021-22 season. [The league will] focus on the random testing of performance-enhancing products and drugs of abuse,”
Drug testing will remain for substances like human growth hormone and PEDs. This also includes drugs outlined by the NBA known as “drugs of abuse.” The former are drugs like methamphetamine, cocaine, and dangerous opiates. However, the league’s deal with the National Basketball Players Association over sporadic and suspicious cannabis tests will remain for another season (at least.)
NBA stars helping remove the stigma of cannabis
One NBA star and Hall of Famer who has made the world of cannabis and professional sports a better place is Al Harrington. The NBA player emeritus is an exec in the cannabis sector. Earlier this year, Al Harrington surveyed Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer on the contemporary political climate of weed in the United States. Sen. Schumer (D-NY) dispatched his support of cannabis legislation heading to the Senate. If the MORE Act is established, bud will be removed from the Schedule I list of controlled substances. The MORE Act (some are referring to it as the ‘Pot Bill’) can be the instigator for a paradigm shift in weed culture.
We know what you’re thinking: “Kevin Durant is an active player in the NBA. Can’t Kevin Durant be fined for smoking cannabis in the NBA?” and the answer to all of the interrogatories mentioned above is yes. However, Kevin Durant is an investor in the cannabis industry. Durant’s investments are strikingly similar to NBA Hall of Famer Chris Webber’s investments. It is worth noting there is no clause that prohibits investments in the cannabis industry in the terms set by the NBA or its governing Players’ Association. 2x NBA Champion and zenith of Brooklyn Nets basketball, Durant entrusted millions in numerous cannabis ventures. The National Basketball Association is surely one of the most socially progressive professional sports leagues today. We do not expect Commissioner of the NBA Adam Silver to fault Durant for having stakes in cannabis companies. With the recent news of the league dropping random drug testing for cannabis, we don’t expect the Commissioner to have a problem with cannabis investments in the future.
NBA players react to the league ignoring cannabis
NBA athletes have been very vocal about their support of the news. However, the news came after the 2021 NBA Media Day. This was likely a tactic to avoid the immense amount of cannabis questions that would surely follow. It is safe to say that the universal sentiment regarding the announcement is this:
It’s lit!