The NBA is a league where some of the best athletes in the world gather. Despite the growing trend towards drugs and substance abuse, most of the league’s players have been clean. At least during the NBA season. With that being said, we should undoubtedly wonder about the offseason.
Fans might already be aware that players like JR Smith and Matt Barnes have already built a reputation for consuming substances like Marijuana. Do they face any consequences? Especially for activities during the offseason, when athletes are comparatively free. We should take a closer look at the situation and process how drug testing works in the NBA.
Do NBA players get tested for weed?
Marijuana and basketball players have certainly been associated together for a while now. Despite parts of the United States legalizing weed, it is still banned and used to be tested for by the league up until the 2020 NBA season.
As we remember, the COVID pandemic occurred and basketball soon came to a halt. When things finally resumed again in the “Bubble”, league officials revealed that random Marijuana testing was no longer a priority for them.
Players won’t be subject to random tests for marijuana this season, according to @NBPA memo shared w/ players and obtained by ESPN. That’s been adjusted policy thru Orlando restart and 2020-‘21 season. Testing continues for “drugs of abuse and performance enhancing substances.”
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 6, 2021
That certainly does not mean that players are allowed to smoke weed. It simply means there is no official testing for that particular substance. Nonetheless, other performance-enhancing substances would definitely require stringent testing.
How many times are NBA players tested for PED’s in a year?
According to the regulations, a player can be tested 4 times randomly throughout a season. This also includes two off-season tests that were introduced relatively recently. All to prevent and deter the use of performance-enhancing drugs.
The NBA has a list of substances that are completely banned. They include anabolic steroids and stimulants like cocaine and amphetamine. These substances clearly play a far greater role in the performance and capability of the athlete. In comparison to Marijuana, these drugs are taken very seriously.
Even an NBA superstar like Stephen Curry is to be randomly drug tested 4 times a season without being given prior notice. Additionally, refusal to take a test will be declared a failure of the test. As a result, the athlete can be suspended for 10 games in the event of a first-time offense.
If they do not stop here the period of suspension increases from 10 to 25 and even a year. This method has effectively stopped NBA players from consuming PED’s and substances in general. Especially during the NBA season.
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