The former NBA player Al-Harrington, ex-NBA Commissioner David Stern believes medical marijuana needs to be accepted as a substance for athletes in the NBA.

“I’m now at the point where, personally, I think [cannabis] probably should be removed from the ban list,” Stern said while appearing on the digital sports program Uninterrupted. “I think there is universal agreement that marijuana for medical purposes should be completely legal.”

Stern, now 75, was the NBA’s commissioner from 1984-2012 and was against cannabis during his time as a commissioner. Stern said players were oftentimes showing up to games high, so he had to be strict.

Things are different in his perspective now.

Stern said, “I think we have to change the Collective Bargaining Agreement and let you do what is legal in your state. If marijuana is now in the process of being legalized, I think you should be allowed to do what’s legal in your state.”

“People accepted the generally-held wisdom that marijuana was a gateway drug,” a comment made by Stern as the reputation cannabis had back then was on the more harsh side.

Al Harrington, a retired player well known in the NBA for his accolades has invested largely in the cannabis industry, investing millions into his own canna-business.


Harrington says he began using cannabis after a botched knee surgery he had while still in the NBA.

Harrington believes “over 70 percent” of professional athletes smoke cannabis regularly. This echoes the sentiment of another former NBA player Jay Williams, who said in an interview with FoxBusiness that “80 percent of the league” smokes weed.

However, Harrington took it a step further and went as far as to say coaches and others in the organization use cannabis as well.

“Not only the players, but I think coaches consume, I think the owners consume. I think in sports it’s very prevalent and it’s right there,” Harrington said.

Ex-NBA Commissioner Says Legalize Weed in Sports, but of course we won’t be seeing any immediate revisions of the league’s policy on substances.

While the current NBA commissioner Adam Silver said he’s “open” to legalizing medical marijuana in the league, he also believes there is no need to change the policy.

I wonder will the NBA change their policies regarding cannabis, we can only hope.