Will the NBA stop testing for cannabis?

The NBA has announced it will continue its no cannabis testing policy for the 2020-2021 season. Even if it means never testing players for cannabis again?

Cannabis testing suspended for the first time this year as the players finished their season in the Orlando «bubble». But as reported by journalist Ben Dowsett , the Basketball League and the players' union have agreed to maintain this policy at least for next season.

Sources say this decision is largely based on COVID safety - just another way of limiting unnecessary contacts.

However, there's also significant expectation from many in the league that the entire marijuana testing program is on the way out in the near future.

- Ben Dowsett (@Ben_Dowsett) December 3, 2020

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But pressure is mounting on the league to end cannabis testing for good. Michele Roberts, head of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) who also joined the board of cannabis powerhouse Cresco Labs this year, predicted in a recent interview that formal change could come as early as «next season».

«We're not going to expose our players to unnecessary risks,» she declared Ben Dowsett. «And we don't need to know if our players are positive for cannabis.»

NBA commissioner Adam Silver didn't rule out new cannabis testing policies, but said the league should proceed with caution to avoid sending the wrong message to young people. He also expressed support for exploring the medical potential of cannabis.

«At the end of the day, I think we all agree that, if marijuana were a legal substance like alcohol, young people still need to be taught how to use a substance like that appropriately and responsibly, so it doesn't ruin your life,» he explained. «So it's a complicated subject.»

Although the NBA does not randomly test its players for THC, it will continue to test ostensible players, such as those with a history of drug use.

Earlier this year, the Major League Baseball announced that players would no longer be tested for cannabis. The NFL has also decided to put an end to suspensions for positive screening tests and limit the test window.