Kevin Durant wants to legalize cannabis in the NBA

During a recent episode of Showtime's «All the Smoke» podcast, hosted by former NBA players Matt Barnes and Stephen Jackson, Kevin Durant expressed his support for the cannabis legalization in the NBA and, more broadly, expressed a desire to put an end to the stigma surrounding the plant.

«Everyone on my team drinks coffee every day. Taking caffeine every day. Or guys go out and drink wine after games or have a little drink here and there. Marijuana of the same type,» said the former NBA player. «Why are we even talking about it? It shouldn't even be a debate now. So I hope we can get over this and the stigma around it and say it gives people a good time, makes them hungry, brings them together - this plant brings us all together.»

«It's one of those plants that has an acquired taste. If you like it, you like it. If you don't, you're not going to eat it. That shouldn't even be a discussion these days,» he continued. «Simply put, marijuana is marijuana. It's not harmful to anyone. It can only help and improve and do good things. I feel like it shouldn't even be a topic anymore.»

Like the National Football League and the Major League Baseball, The NBA has long prohibited and punished cannabis use, with players randomly tested every year, and penalties ranging from fines to suspensions and even total bans from NBA play. But while the MLB recently put an end cannabis tests, and that the NFL is reforming rules, professional basketball has yet to take the plunge.

«We're starting to get people out of jail for cannabis. That's the next step,» Durant said. «And we'll continue. But it's a plant that exists for a reason, and it brings us together. Let's hope [reform] happens, especially in the NBA.»

It's no surprise to see Kevin Durant publicly advocating that the NBA remove cannabis from its list of banned substances. Through Thirty Five Ventures, an investment company he co-founded with business partner Rich Kleiman, Durant last year announced a partnership with cannabis investment specialist Canopy Rivers.

Durant has also invested in Canadian cannabis delivery service Dutchie, alongside another cannabis name, Snoop Dogg.

Kevin Durant was also paparazzled with a medtainer of medical cannabis falling from his car outside a restaurant.