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The issue of medical marijuana use has become one of the most highly-discussed topics in professional sports. Former NBA commissioner Davis Stern recently threw in his two cents by advocating for it to be removed from the league's banned substances list.
As more states begin to legalize the use of medical marijuana, Stern felt that the negative stigma surrounding the herbal remedy has floundered with it. Among those to agree with him is Minnesota Timberwolves budding superstar Karl-Anthony Towns, according to ESPN's Nick Friedell:
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“I agree with David Stern with marijuana. You don't have to actually make it “Mary J” [or] “Half Baked.” You don't have to do it like that, but you could use the [chemical] properties in it to make a lot of people better. That's something that [Commissioner] Adam Silver has to do, that's out of my control, but maybe legalizing marijuana. Not fully legal where people are chimneys but using [marijuana] as a beneficial factor as an athlete, as a person living daily. I think a lot of times fans forget that sometimes there may be some things that are banned that may not be the greatest for playing basketball, but for everyday living off the court, sometimes those things that are legal could help us.”
Towns added that while he has never partaken, he can see how someone else could benefit from a medical standpoint. He, along with athletes from nearly every other major American sport, has taken the same stance as Towns.
As of right now, NBA players who test positive for marijuana can face a $25,000 fine up to a 10-game suspension. However, with the growing support from notable figures such as Towns and Stern, the NBA may very well have to consider it a possibility in the near future.
