NBA will not conduct random marijuana testing in 2020-2021

The NBA and the National Basketball Players Association have agreed not to conduct randomized testing for marijuana during the 2020-21 season.

“Due to the unusual circumstances of the pandemic, we have agreed with the NBPA to suspend random marijuana testing for the 2020-2021 season and to focus our random testing program on performance enhancing products and abusive drugs,” NBA spokesman Mike Bass said in a statement.

The NBA adopted a similar policy during the league bubble at Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. Last summer, where the league assembled 22 of its 30 teams to play eight ranking games and full playoffs. , who ultimately crowned the Los Angeles Lakers as champions.

Tuesday marked the start of training camp for league teams, although players can only train individually for the first few days due to precautions taken due to the coronavirus pandemic. Full-team training is scheduled to begin on Sunday and the first preseason games will take place on December 11.

The NBA regular season, which will be 72 games – down from the usual 82 game schedule – kicks off on December 22. The full schedule is expected to be revealed on ESPN’s The Jump Friday afternoon.