NBA for Marijuana
Twenty-nine states have already started the ball rolling in the marijuana legalization movement. But the NBA teams in those states and the association, as a whole, aren’t allowed to use this therapeutic solution.
Fortunately, this might be just about to change.
Michele Roberts, the woman in charge of the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) said that she approves the use of cannabis in the league although the substance is still federally banned.
As the head of the union that speaks for its players, Roberts believes that there is substantial evidence that backs the efficacy and the benefits of cannabis for the players, particularly in pain management. The executive director of NBPA ended on a positive note that the league is talking about taking measures regarding the issue.
The director isn’t alone in the union’s fight for the legalization of marijuana. Past and present NBA players have shown their support for cannabis use. They obtained a powerful ally in the former NBA commissioner, David Stern. October last year (2017), Stern announced that he favors and supports the substance in the NBA.
“I’m now at the point where personally I think it should be removed from the banned list,” the former commissioner told former league player and now marijuana entrepreneur Al Harrington in a documentary.
The NBA’s current guidelines prohibit marijuana along with hard drugs like meth and heroin. Players who get caught doing those aforementioned substances will be fined, possibly banned from future games, and maybe even forced into drug rehabilitation facilities.
Currently, the basketball association’s league and the players’ union are working hand in hand to administer the plan. The two parties are establishing the ground works for the program and the possible changes in the regulations in NBA.
Adam Silver, the present NBA Commissioner said that the issue still needs to be further studied. However, he disclosed that he is very open to it if the science checks the boxes.
Almost everyone on the side of the basketball league is okay with the progressive movement inside the NBA. But like a competitive NBA team, there will always be a stubborn opposition.
Image source
Roberts is wary and concerned with Jeff Sessions as Attorney General. The executive director of NBPA is worried that the chief legal advisor of the president would crack down on players of NBA for something that is now legal in most states.
Attorney General Sessions is actively blocking medical cannabis research and invalidated a decree passed by the former president Obama last January that protects cannabis users, entrepreneurs, and businesses from the states where it is allowed from particular forms of prosecution.
“If we do go down that road, we have to protect our players from — my words — a crazed attorney general who says he will prosecute violations of the law involving marijuana and he doesn’t care what individual states say,” Roberts stated.
This is not the first time cannabis was supported in the professional sports industry. July last year, the National Football League told their association that they are open to the research of medical marijuana. Former players of the football league recommended that marijuana is a better alternative than opioids in treating severe pain.
Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) is one of the prevalent conditions football players often experience. This degenerative brain disease was found in 99% of deceased NFL players’ brains which were given to the scientific community.
Marijuana was found to alleviate the pain from CTE.
What are your thoughts on allowing the use of medical marijuana in the league?
Share your views with our community in the comments section below.
- How Commercial Cannabis Growers Can Benefit from Using a Software - May 17, 2019
- Understanding CBD Interactions and Why CBD and Your Brain Can Be Best Friends - January 4, 2019
- The Difference Between Using THC and CBD - December 19, 2018
