The NBA Will Reportedly Not Test Players For Marijuana Next Season

NBA reporter Marc Stein has says that the league will not test for marijuana for the upcoming 20-21 season.

He tweeted, "The NBA has officially suspended random marijuana testing for the 2020-21 season."

He added, "Said NBA spokesman Mike Bass: '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.'"

He later stressed that this will just be for random testing, not testing as a whole. "Marijuana remains a banned substance in the NBA based on the current collective bargaining agreement and while random testing has been suspended ... marijuana testing in cases of “cause” remains in place."

There were reports earlier that the league was going to eliminate testing altogether. Writer Ben Dowsett tweeted out that the league wasn't going to test at all, but later updated his announcement.

https://twitter.com/Ben_Dowsett/status/1334602489023197184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1334602489023197184%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.complex.com%2Fsports%2F2020%2F12%2Fnba-will-reportedly-not-test-players-for-marijuana-next-season

Complex states that this decision was made as a way to limit unnecessary contact with players because of COVID-19. They add, "Now that the league has chosen to do without marijuana testing again, it could mean that the NBA is trending towards phasing out the program."