NBA players won’t be subject to random marijuana testing this season, according to a players’ association memo shared with players and obtained by ESPN on Wednesday.
The agreement between the NBA and the NBPA is a repeat of an amended policy that began with the 2020 Orlando restart and continued through the 2020-21 season and remains again amid the league and union’s COVID-19 protocols.
Testing will continue for “drugs of abuse and performance enhancing substances,” the memo said.
Marijuana remains prohibited in the league’s collective bargaining agreement, but negotiations between the league and players’ association loosened restrictions. The NBA and NBPA have agreed to significant freedoms for vaccinated players but remain stringent in protocols for players who haven’t been vaccinated.
