The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association agreed not to conduct random tests for marijuana during the 2020-21 season.
The league stopped testing players for marijuana while last season was suspended earlier this year, CBS Sports reported. When the players returned to play in the bubble at the Walt Disney Resort near Orlando, Florida, the trend continued.
At the Disney resort, 22 of the league’s 30 teams played eight seeding games and a full playoff schedule, ESPN reported. That resulted in the Los Angeles Lakers winning their 17th NBA crown.
League sources: Continuing a theme from the Orlando bubble, the NBA will not test its players for marijuana for the upcoming 2020-21 season.
— Ben Dowsett (@Ben_Dowsett) December 3, 2020
“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,” NBA spokesperson Mike Bass said in a statement.
>> House passes bill to decriminalize marijuana
Recreational marijuana use is fully legal in 15 states and the District of Columbia, NBC Sports reported. On Friday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to decriminalize marijuana on a federal level. The legislation now goes to the Senate.
The NBA regular season, which will be 72 games -- down from the usual 82-game schedule -- will begin Dec. 22. The full schedule was unveiled on ESPN’s The Jump on Friday afternoon.
Cox Media Group