NBA Removes Ban On Marijuana With New CBA: Report

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NEW YORK, NY - OCTOBER 25: Commissioner of the NBA Adam Silver speaks onstage for Building Brands and Delighting Fans: Nurturing Talent and Creating Compelling Content in the Digital Age during day 3 of Fast Company Innovation Festival at 92nd Street Y on October 25, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Bennett Raglin/Getty Images for Fast Company)
The NBA is reportedly removing marijuana from the banned substances list.

The NBA is reportedly removing marijuana from its list of banned substances. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the league will no longer test players for the drug as part of the new collective bargaining agreement with the National Basketball Players Association. The agreement will last for seven years with a mutual opt-out following the sixth year.

The news comes after the NBA temporarily stopped testing for marijuana during the 2019-20 season. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver explained at the time: “We decided that, given all the things that were happening in society, given all the pressures and stress that players were under, that we didn’t need to act as Big Brother right now. I think society’s views around marijuana has changed to a certain extent.”

Adam Silver At A Press Conference

OAKLAND, CA - JUNE 01: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media before Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 1, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

There are several other distinct updates with the new CBA as well. Firstly, awards will now require a minimum of 65 games played for qualification. This will hopefully help curb the rise of load management for star players. Additionally, both the league and NBPA have agreed to increase the upper limits on contract extensions from a 120% increase on a current deal to 140%.

The new CBA reportedly also paves the way for a long-rumored in-season tournament that could arrive as soon as the 2023-24 season. With this new format, pool-play games will be incorporated into the regular-season schedule starting in November. Eight teams will then advance to a single elimination tournament the following month. Las Vegas is being discussed as a neutral location to host the final four. The league will award $500,000 per player to the winning team of the in-season tournament.

Tamika Tremaglio, Executive Director of the NBPA, said on Twitter, Saturday: "Since day one, the goal of the NBPA in this negotiation was to protect our players, enrich their lives on and off the court, and establish a framework that recognizes our players as true partners with the governors in both the NBA and the business world at large!"

Tamika Tremaglio's Statement

[Via]

About The Author
Cole Blake
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.
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