Kevin Durant Says Cannabis Should Be Allowed In NBA

National Basketball Association (NBA) player Kevin Durant continues his support of cannabis acceptance and its removal from the association’s banned substance list. Earlier this month, on Showtime’s All That Smoke podcast, Durant elaborated on his views on marijuana use.

“It’s one of those plants that’s an acquired taste. If you love it, you love it. If you don’t, you’re not even going to be pick it up. It shouldn’t even be a discussion these days,” Durant said. “It’s just like, marijuana is marijuana. It’s not harmful to anybody. It can only help and enhance and do good things. I feel like it shouldn’t even be a huge topic around it anymore.”

Kevin Durant said marijuana shouldn't be a huge topic in the NBA anymore. pic.twitter.com/y9z8I9R4SK

— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) February 28, 2020

The Nets’ basketball player has partnered with Snoop Dogg to back Dutchie, a marijuana startup company.

pic.twitter.com/kfRwtNkxeI

— niggalina stan (@strictIyknicks) February 27, 2020

“Everybody on my team drinks coffee every day. Taking caffeine every day. Or guys go out to have wine after games or have a little drink here and there. Marijuana should be in that tone,” the 10-time NBA All-Star said. “Why are we even talking about it? It shouldn’t even be a conversation now. So hopefully we can get past that and the stigma around it and know that it does nothing but make people have a good time, make people hungry, make people just come together — that plant brings us all together.”

Marijuana is among a list of over 200 substances that are banned by the NBA. The MLB (Major League Baseball) removed cannabis from its list of banned substances in December of 2019 and the NHL (National Hockey League) does not implement punishment for players that test positive for marijuana in their systems.

Dion Waiters, guard for the Miami Heat, recently received a 10-game suspension after consuming a cannabis gummy edible and having a panic attack on the team plane.

“We are very disappointed in Dion’s actions this season that include the very scary situation on Thursday night, and grateful that the outcome wasn’t worse,” the Heat said in a statement announcing the suspension.

Heat statement on Waiters: pic.twitter.com/svlUdv44k8

— David Aldridge (@davidaldridgedc) November 10, 2019

Not everybody close to the NBA has been on board with the total acceptance of marijuana, including former player Charles Barkley.

“I’m not a pot guy. I’ve had pot like five times, and it just makes me want potato chips,” Barkley said. “But I got to be progressive. Listen, if you’re using pot to heal your body and things like that, I guess I can accept it. But I don’t want guys smoking pot just because they like smoking pot. I don’t think you can compare basketball to football. But I know it’s been helpful to my football friends. But if you’re going to use cannabis — I must be getting old, I’m saying cannabis. If you’re going to smoke weed or pot, it better be for the right reasons. Don’t just do it because you’re a druggie. I’m very sensitive to the subject. I had a brother who died young who was a junkie. Drugs are a real serious issue to me. But I have to be open-minded. If you’re going to use drugs for the right reasons, fine. But I don’t want to give people carte blanche to use."