Sports

Ex-NBA Commissioner Suggests Weed Should Be Legal For Medical Purposes

(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)

Jena Greene Reporter
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David Stern, the ex-NBA commissioner, believes in slackening weed laws in professional sports.

In a conversation with Al Harrington, he said “I’m now at the point where, personally, I think [weed] probably should be removed from the ban list.”

Al Harrington was in the NBA for 17 years before he became a cannabis entrepreneur. He’s invested more than $3 million of his own money into the prescription drug business and advocates for the popularization of medical marijuana.

Harrington began experimenting with medicinal marijuana after he had a “botched” knee surgery during his time with the Denver Nuggets. He underwent 4 additional surgeries and suffered from infections. A nurse suggested he try CBD (or Cannabidiol, an anti-inflammatory component of cannabis) rather than the litany of pain meds he was on.

Besides, Harrington was no stranger to cannabis. He suggests about 70% of professional athletes – and coaches – smoke marijuana. “It’s that big,” he said.

So when Harrington sat down with David Stern to talk about weed’s influence in the NBA, his answers were surprising.

“It’s a completely different perception today,” Stern said. “Marijuana, for medical purposes should be completely legal.”

Stern worries that players who use medicinal marijuana could be violating the Collective Bargaining Agreement. He suggests, “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.”

If the ex-commissioner has anything to say about it, it looks like the NBA may be on their way to a more relaxed marijuana policy.