WNBA Offers To End Marijuana Testing For Women’s Basketball Players As Part Of Reported Deal With Union
The WNBA is potentially poised to join the ranks of sports leagues that have revised their marijuana policies, with details about negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA)—which has now been agreed to in principle—indicating that the women’s basketball league is prepared to eliminate cannabis testing for players.
As part of the negotiations between the Women’s National Basketball Players’ Association and WNBA, the league has reportedly put forward a number of potential policy changes, with proposals that touch on everything from salary caps to revenue sharing to travel expenses to drug testing rules.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne posted screenshots of slides she said were presented to players during a meeting with league representatives last month. In one slide titled “WNBA CBA Proposal: Summary of CBA Improvements,” a list of 37 potential compromises includes an item that says simply, “Elimination of Marijuana Testing.”
Current WNBA policy treats cannabis significantly more restrictively compared to the NBA, as well as multiple other professional sports leagues beyond basketball that have also adopted reforms amid the state legalization movement. Marijuana remains listed as a “prohibited substance” for WNBA players, who are still tested for THC metabolites. First-time offenses generally result in treatment referrals, but repeated violations can lead to fines and suspensions.
The document describing the league’s position in the new CBA negotiations also lists “New Treatment Programs for Marijuana/Alcohol Abuse” and “Shorter Disqualification Periods under Anti-DrugProgram” as items it offered.
On Friday, WNBA and the players association announced that representatives signed a term sheet for a new CBA and released a summary of “key elements” of what they described as a “tentative” deal. Marijuana and drugs are not mentioned in the two-page summary of the full agreement, which is now subject to being ratified by players and the league’s Board of Governors, so it’s not clear how the issue will ultimately be handled.
