{"id":535244,"date":"2026-03-20T18:43:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-20T18:43:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/535244\/"},"modified":"2026-03-20T18:43:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-20T18:43:08","slug":"wnba-offers-to-end-marijuana-testing-for-womens-basketball-players-as-part-of-reported-deal-with-union","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/535244\/","title":{"rendered":"WNBA Offers To End Marijuana Testing For Women’s Basketball Players As Part Of Reported Deal With Union"},"content":{"rendered":"

The WNBA seems positioned to join the ranks of sports leagues that have revised their marijuana policies, with details about negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA)\u2014which has now reportedly been agreed to in principle\u2014indicating that the women\u2019s basketball league is moving to eliminate cannabis testing for players.<\/p>\n

As part of the negotiations between the Women\u2019s National Basketball Players\u2019 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.<\/p>\n

ESPN\u2019s Ramona Shelburne posted screenshots of slides which were reportedly presented to players during a meeting with league representatives last month. In one slide titled \u201cWNBA CBA Proposal: Summary of CBA Improvements,\u201d a list of 37 potential compromises includes an item that says simply, \u201cElimination of Marijuana Testing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Current WNBA policy treats cannabis significantly more restrictively compared to the NBA\u2014and multiple other professional sports leagues beyond basketball that have also adopted reforms amid the state legalization movement. Marijuana remains listed as a \u201cprohibited substance\u201d 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.<\/p>\n

After last month\u2019s WNBA CBA presentation, the players association came back with a counterproposal that included certain concessions around issues such as revenue sharing and housing, ESPN reported<\/a>, but the latest version of the deal that was agreed<\/a> to in principle this week hasn\u2019t yet been released so it\u2019s unclear what it specifically proposes as far as marijuana testing rules are concerned.<\/p>\n

The league did give some indication about its willingness to accept the changing tides around cannabis in 2024, when the WNBA team New York Liberty entered into a partnership with a CBD beverage company<\/a>.<\/p>\n

But CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid, is federally legal\u2014and the sponsorship arrangement didn\u2019t change the fact that players would still be tested and potentially penalized for testing positive for THC.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Brittney Griner\u2014a WNBA player who was previously incarcerated in Russia over possession of marijuana<\/a>\u2014pulled out of an appearance at a cannabis event last year<\/a> after discovering what she felt was a threatening message in her hotel room.<\/p>\n

Conference attendees had hoped to hear from Griner about the nature of her incarceration in Russia, which helped fuel international debate about cannabis prohibition laws domestically and abroad.<\/p>\n

How other sports leagues have navigated marijuana policy for players amid the reform movement.<\/p>\n

NBA, for its part, removed marijuana from the banned substances list for players<\/a> in 2023, and it also freed them up to invest in and promote cannabis companies.<\/p>\n

The NFL, meanwhile, reached an agreement with its players union in 2024 to further reform its marijuana policies<\/a>, significantly reducing fines for positive tests while increasing the allowable THC threshold for players. About four years after NFL\u00a0ended the practice of suspending players over cannabis<\/a> or other drugs as part of a collective bargaining agreement, the league again revised its Substances of Abuse Policy and Performance Enhancing Substances Policy.<\/p>\n

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2024 voted to remove marijuana from its banned substances list<\/a>\u00a0for Division I players.<\/p>\n

The reform builds on a 2022 change that\u00a0increased the allowable THC threshold for college athletes<\/a>, aligning NCAA\u2019s rules with those of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).<\/p>\n

In October, Nevada regulators officially adopted a rule change that will\u00a0protect athletes from being penalized for using or possessing marijuana<\/a>\u00a0in compliance with state law.<\/p>\n

The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) blasted the\u00a0\u201cunfair\u201d ban on marijuana for athletes competing in international sport events<\/a>, including the Olympics that were underway in Paris at the time of the comments.<\/p>\n

USADA CEO Travis Tygart said it was \u201cdisappointing\u201d that WADA has maintained the cannabis prohibition based on what he considers a misguided justification.<\/p>\n

WADA did carry out a review into its marijuana policy at the request of USADA and the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) following the controversial suspension of U.S. runner Sha\u2019Carri Richardson, who was\u00a0barred from participating in the Olympics in 2021 after she tested positive for THC<\/a>. Richardson said she used cannabis to cope with the recent passing of her mother.<\/p>\n

While UFC announced in late 2023 that it was formally removing marijuana from its modified banned substances list for athletes, the league\u00a0notified participants that the reform didn\u2019t apply<\/a>\u00a0under California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) rules.<\/p>\n

UFC advised fighters that they could be subject to a $100 fine by CSAS if they tested over 150 nanograms of THC per milliliter ahead of the UFC 298 event that took place in February.<\/p>\n

The New York-based clubs are partnering with Mynd Drinks, a hemp-based CBD sparkling beverage company that also made history in 2024 when it became an official partner of the Major League Baseball (MLB) team the Chicago Cubs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

That year, NFL announced it was partnering with Canadian researchers on a clinical trial<\/a>\u00a0to test the safety and efficacy of CBD for pain management and neuroprotection from concussions\u2014key issues for many football players who experience injuries as part of the game.<\/p>\n

Separately, NFL and the Denver Broncos in 2024 asked a federal court to reject a player\u2019s lawsuit alleging discrimination over penalties he incurred due to positive THC tests<\/a>\u00a0from his prescribed use of a synthetic cannabinoid.<\/p>\n

In a joint motion to dismiss filed with the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado, the league and team defended their marijuana policy for players, affirming it\u2019s their view that use of cannabis can lead to on-field injuries, poor job performance and \u201calienation of the fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis \/\/ Side Pocket Images.<\/p>\n

Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.<\/p>\n

\"Become<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The WNBA seems positioned to join the ranks of sports leagues that have revised their marijuana policies, with…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":535245,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[73],"tags":[831,99,434],"class_list":["post-535244","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-wnba","tag-featured","tag-sports","tag-wnba"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535244","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=535244"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/535244\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/535245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=535244"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=535244"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=535244"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}