NBA commissioner Adam Silver is widely considered to be one of the most, if not the most, open-minded authority figure that the league has ever had. He even went on record early in his tenure that sports betting is actually “good for business“.

However, Silver is still adamant that the use of marijuana remains intolerable in today's NBA. Portland Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum recently sat down with Silver in an interview for The Players Tribune, asking if the commish is considering the use of marijuana to be made legal in the league:

“I don’t see the need for any changes right now. I mean, it’s legal in certain states. But as you know, our players are constantly travelling, and it might be a bit of a trap to say we’re going to legalize it in these states, but no, it’s illegal in other states. And then players get in a position where they’re travelling with marijuana, and we’re obviously getting into trouble.”

Silver raises an important point as for why he's hesitant to pull the trigger in legalizing weed in his league. Although a good number of NBA teams currently reside in states where the recreational use of cannabis has been made legal (California, Colorado, Massachusetts, and Oregon), the fact that players still travel to various states wherein the polarizing substance is still banned will only put those players in jeopardy. Hence, a player caught under the influence of marijuana in such states will also put the NBA in a negative light for tolerating the drug in the first place.

There are numerous claims on the positive effects of marijuana, so the building blocks for its legalization in the entire United States are already in place. This would also explain why several states have already accepted the drug as a legal substance; be it for recreational or medical use. And if anything, weed will only hamper a player's performance rather than enhance it, as lethargy is one of cannabis' primary side effects.

It'll probably take the legalization of marijuana in all 50 states before Silver reconsiders his stance on the wonder herb. So for now, players better not be caught with THC in their system – apparently, there are a lot of them out there – if they know what's good for their respective careers in the NBA.