Ex-Commissioner David Stern and numerous players align with the thesis of its benefits if it is used for medical purposes

David Stern, the New York attorney and commissioner of the NBA from 1984 to 2014, lit the fuse on October 25. "You've convinced me. Probably marijuana should be removed from the list of substances banned by the League. " Stern, who played a decisive role in cleaning up the bad image of the NBA players in the eighties and nineties, responded to Al Harrington, a player from the League from 1998 to 2014 and now a lawyer and leader of a medical marijuana company, in the documentary The Concept of Cannabis produced by Uninterrupted.

The NBA responded a few days later through its executive vice president of communications, Mike Bass. "Adam Silver (the current NBA commissioner) has stated that we are interested in better understanding the safety and efficacy of marijuana for medical purposes. Our position on the use of marijuana for recreational purposes remains unchanged, "he told USA Today. The NBA's anti-doping program establishes that the first positive for marijuana forces to enter a treatment program, the second is punished with a fine of $ 25,000, the third with five games of penalty and from the fourth, is punishable by five games for each positive.

The last one to have taken part in the debate is Karl Anthony Towns of the Minnesota Timberwolves. At just 22 years old, he is one of the most promising players in the league. He invests a portion of his time in autism schools, Reed Academy in New Jersey. "You realize that the properties of marijuana can be very beneficial for children and adults," explains Towns, whose girlfriend has an autistic nephew.

The pivot of the Timberwolves, who claims not to have smoked a cigarette in his life, explains his position in an interview on ESPN: "Stern did a great job taking drastic measures against illegal substances. But, now you see things from a different perspective. The legalization of marijuana with medicinal effects has helped millions of people. "I know people who suffer from acute arthritis and, thanks to marijuana, can move much better," he says. "There is a big difference between recreational and medicinal use. It is a medicine that used in the right context can help people who feel great pain. The NBA players are not superhuman. Some of us are in conditions in which the moderate and reasonable use of marijuana for medicinal purposes would be beneficial. "

Harrington, in his encounter with Stern, tells him that during the three years of his playing career, in which he played for three different teams, Denver, Orlando and Washington, he used CBD, a derivative of marijuana to treat knee inflammation. after an unsuccessful operation. The former commissioner of the NBA reports that at one point the League knew that many of its players smoked a lot of marijuana. "We started to tighten the rules. People accepted the widespread belief that marijuana was the gateway to other types of harder and more harmful drugs. " That perception has changed and there is a universal consensus that marijuana for medical purposes must be completely legal. "

Marijuana is demonized. 'Oh, look, it's a fumeta', that's the reaction. I use it because it helps me with the inflammation of my knees and calms my anxiety
JAY WILLIAMS
In March of 2016, Jay Williams, chosen with the number two of the 2002 draft by the Chicago Bulls, behind only the Chinese Yao Ming, confessed that 80% of the NBA players use marijuana. In his second year in the league, Jay Williams, suffered a motorcycle accident and was about to lose a leg. Both he and Towns explain that many players use drugs like Percocet or Vicodin, stronger and potentially more harmful than marijuana, but this is taboo because it is on the list of prohibited substances.

"When you talk about marijuana, the reaction is: 'Ah! It is a prohibited medicine. ' I know many athletes who, for example, use Percocet. Have you ever taken Percocet? It leaves you much more groggy than using cannabis oil. It is something that is demonized by society. 'Oh, look, it's a fumeta', that's the reaction. I use cannabis oil because it helps with the swelling of my knees and calms my anxiety, "says Jay Williams.

Steve Kerr, the coach of Golden State, defending champion of the NBA, revealed in December 2016 that he resorted to marijuana to try to mitigate the back pain he suffered despite having been operated just before the start of the 2015 season -2016. Kerr advocated a change in NBA regulations on the use of marijuana, a better alternative to many medications, he said, with which athletes treat their pains.

I tried marijuana and it did not help, but it was worth it, because I was looking for answers to pain, Other Analgesics and drugs were worse. It's complicated

STEVE KERR

The League of Football Players Association (NFL) works on a proposal about the use of marijuana. The objective of the NFL players' union is that it can be assumed that recreational consumption is not the only one and that it can be approached from the perspective of a medicinal treatment. The thesis is that its use is more beneficial, effective and less harmful than other medications to alleviate the pain, often chronic, suffered by many elite athletes.

"In my case, I tried marijuana and it did not help at all, but it was worth it, because I was looking for pain responses, but I also tried painkillers and other types of drugs, and they were worse. It's complicated<, "concludes the Warriors coach.

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