Did the NBA remove cannabis from its drug-testing list?

Yes. The April 26, 2023 NBA-NBPA collective-bargaining agreement, effective July 1, 2023 and running through the 2029-30 season, states unequivocally that "Marijuana will be removed from the Prohibited Substances List." Players are no longer tested for cannabis or sanctioned for use.

Can NBA players invest in cannabis companies?

Yes, with limits. The 2023 CBA permits players to "hold a passive, non-controlling interest" in a marijuana company — defined in the CBA as 50% or less ownership. Players may also actively promote CBD-only companies, defined as products containing 0.3% THC or less by dry weight (mirroring the federal hemp definition). Promotion of marijuana-brand products remains prohibited.

When did Kevin Durant partner with Weedmaps?

Kevin Durant's Thirty Five Ventures and his media company Boardroom announced a multi-year partnership with Weedmaps on August 19, 2021. Durant told ESPN at the time: "I think it's far past time to address the stigmas around cannabis that still exist in the sports world as well as globally."

What did Adam Silver say about cannabis in 2014?

In a 2014 60 Minutes Sports interview with Bob Simon, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said the league should "consider medical use" of cannabis. The interview is widely credited as the first public crack in the wall and the antecedent to the 2023 CBA full removal.

NBA Cannabis Policy 2026: Removed in 2023 CBA + KD/Weedmaps

The NBA removed cannabis from its Prohibited Substances List in the July 1, 2023 CBA. Players may invest in cannabis companies and promote CBD brands. Adam Silver, Kevin Durant, Al Harrington, Viola Brands.

Status: Removed from the List Removed from list

The NBA's pre-2023 cannabis policy used a tiered structure: a first positive triggered the league's substance-abuse program, a second drew a $25,000 fine, a third triggered a five-game suspension. In practice, testing was suspended in the 2020 NBA "bubble" at Walt Disney World during the COVID-19 restart and never resumed. The league spent the 2020–2023 stretch operating without cannabis testing while CBA negotiations played out.

The April 26, 2023 CBA: Full Removal

The April 26, 2023 NBA-NBPA collective-bargaining agreement (effective July 1, 2023; runs through the 2029-30 season) is unequivocal: "Marijuana will be removed from the Prohibited Substances List." The change is full removal, not a threshold raise — the league no longer tests players for cannabis. The CBA also liberalized the player business rules:

Players may invest in CBD companies without restriction.
Players may hold a "passive, non-controlling interest" in marijuana companies, defined in the CBA as ≤ 50% ownership.
Players may actively promote CBD-only companies (defined as ≤ 0.3% THC by dry weight, mirroring the federal hemp definition).
Promotion of marijuana-brand products remains prohibited.

The CBA codified what had already become de facto practice: the league had stopped enforcement during the bubble and never restarted, and the off-court business activity of named alumni had built a normalized ecosystem.

Pre-2023 High-Profile Cases

Under the now-superseded framework, several stars accumulated cannabis-related discipline:

Allen Iverson — multiple incidents in the 2000s.
Carmelo Anthony — 2004 airport possession.
O.J. Mayo, Tyreke Evans, Larry Sanders, Wilson Chandler — all named, all under the prior structure.

These cases are now historical artifacts — under the 2023 CBA, the same conduct would not be tested for, much less sanctioned.

Adam Silver's 2014 60 Minutes Sports Interview

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver's 2014 interview with Bob Simon on 60 Minutes Sports — in which he said the league should "consider medical use" — was the first public crack in the wall from a sitting commissioner of a major U.S. league. It is widely credited as the antecedent to the current posture and helped reframe the cannabis conversation as a labor and wellness matter rather than a moral one. The trajectory from that 2014 interview to the 2020 bubble suspension to the 2023 CBA full removal is the cleanest pro-sports case study of policy reform on this issue.

The NBA Athlete-Entrepreneur Landscape

The NBA alumni and active-player cannabis-business landscape is the broadest of any major U.S. league:

Kevin Durant — Thirty Five Ventures and his media company Boardroom announced a multi-year partnership with Weedmaps on August 19, 2021. No public dollar figure was disclosed; Durant told ESPN: "I think it's far past time to address the stigmas around cannabis that still exist in the sports world as well as globally."
Al Harrington — Viola Brands, named after his grandmother, has the broadest U.S. retail footprint of any NBA-alumni cannabis brand.
Cliff Robinson — founded "Uncle Spliffy" before his death in 2020.
John Salley, Stephen Jackson, Matt Barnes, and Jay Williams — all hold publicly disclosed cannabis-industry positions.

NBPA Mental Health & Wellness Program

The NBPA Mental Health & Wellness Program, established in 2018, treats cannabis under the same confidentiality and treatment-first framework that now governs alcohol and other substances. The 2023 CBA expanded program funding and codified the prohibition on team-level disciplinary action for cannabis use — teams cannot impose their own internal cannabis penalties on players outside the CBA framework.

For comparison with other leagues' policies, see the league-by-league overview, the MLB removal, or the still-tested NFL framework. For the broader athlete-brand ecosystem, see Athlete-Founded Cannabis Brands.