For the first time, the NFL will not test players for cannabis during the off-season

The NFL offseason began on Monday, and with it came the possibility that players could be subject to random drug tests. But for the first time, they won’t have to worry about testing positive for cannabis.

As Ben Volin, a reporter for the Boston Globe, explains, under the new policy agreed upon by the league and the NFL Players Association, players will not be tested for THC until the preseason.

«The cannabis screening test has now become a real «test of discipline» for NFL players. They know exactly when it takes place—between the start of training camp and the first preseason game. All they have to do is stay clean for a few weeks, pass the test, and they can use for the rest of the season.»

Happy 4/20. The NFL’s random drug testing window for players begins today, with the exception of THC.

The new drug policy agreed upon last year by the NFL and the NFLPA states that players are not tested for THC until the preseason.

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— Ben Volin (@BenVolin) April 20, 2021

The new policy officially took effect last Monday—a coincidence, since we were April 20. Players will continue to be tested for other substances, including cocaine, amphetamines, and opiates.

Cannabis and the NFL

This is a radical change for a league that has always taken a hard line against cannabis use among its players. Some have been suspended for long periods and received heavy fines for testing positive. In 2004, running back Ricky Williams abruptly retired after failing a drug test that would have resulted in a suspension.

«In 2004, I retired so I could smoke weed,» Williams said in 2018. «Well, that’s not entirely true. I retired to take better care of myself. And one of the things that helped me was cannabis.»

The former offensive lineman for the Baltimore Ravens, Eugene Monroe, for his part, turned out to be a staunch advocate for medical cannabis since his retirement in 2016.

«It’s medicine, and while people are able to use cannabis and enjoy it recreationally, the use we’re talking about is its medical use,» Monroe said in 2017. «We don’t see the NFL trying to control players» alcohol or tobacco use. In fact, the NFL advertises those things. Cannabis is less harmful, less dangerous, and less addictive than both of those. Yet we see these products being celebrated. The NFL is even expanding its advertising for hard liquor.”.

Earlier this year, the league announced that she was exploring alternatives to opioids, including cannabis and CBD. The league has tasked a committee with studying the «potential therapeutic role of medications and non-pharmacological interventions that are considered alternatives to opioids in the routine pain management of NFL players,» including «cannabinoids such as cannabidiol (CBD), as well as »the impact of cannabis or cannabinoids on the athletic performance of NFL players » and «the potential therapeutic role of medications and non-pharmacological interventions considered adjuncts to the management of routine post-surgical orthopedic pain in NFL football players.».