http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2016/03/16/attention-nfl-players-put-away-the-pot-for-now/
Attention NFL players: Put away the pot (for now)
Posted by Mike Florio on March 16, 2016
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzrkDGxZexA
"Coming into Los Angeles, bringing in a couple of keys
Don't touch my bags if you please, Mr. Agent Man." - Arlo Guthrie
Every year at this time (when I remember), I make this public service announcement to all NFL players. Put the pot away, at least for now.
The annual window for the one random test per year opens on April 20 (yes, 4/20), and it extends into August. Once the player has submitted to an annual test, the player can resume smoking marijuana absent behavior that would result in placement in the substance-abuse program, such as an arrest for possession of marijuana.
It takes roughly a month for the marijuana metabolites that show up in a drug test to exit the body in liquid form. So the safest course would be to stop now, 35 days before the testing window opens.
Why am I trying to help out players who may be smoking pot? For starters, any of them who are spending the offseason in Colorado or Washington are doing it legally. Others may have qualified for the medicinal use of it.
I also firmly believe in the rights of the individual versus the rights of the employer. No employer has a legitimate basis to prevent employees from smoking marijuana on their own time, unless the employee has a safety-sensitive job. The NFL has never tried to credibly defend its ban on marijuana by pointing to the possibility of a stoned offensive lineman missing a block and getting his quarterback blown up; the harsh, frank accountability of football keeps that kind of thing from happening.
The prohibition on marijuana use comes from a Father Knows Best approach to players, who are prevented from smoking marijuana even when they are completely away from work for months at a time in the offseason. And the league won’t be giving up that power unless the NFL Players Association makes an equivalent concession in return, within the confines of collective bargaining — even if plenty of strong arguments can be made regarding the therapeutic value of marijuana.
If a player gets arrested for possession or driving while under the influence, that’s a different story. But if a player (or any other employee) opts to smoke marijuana in the privacy of his own home, the NFL (or any other employer) shouldn’t care.
Attention NFL players: Put away the pot (for now)
Posted by Mike Florio on March 16, 2016
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzrkDGxZexA
"Coming into Los Angeles, bringing in a couple of keys
Don't touch my bags if you please, Mr. Agent Man." - Arlo Guthrie
Every year at this time (when I remember), I make this public service announcement to all NFL players. Put the pot away, at least for now.
The annual window for the one random test per year opens on April 20 (yes, 4/20), and it extends into August. Once the player has submitted to an annual test, the player can resume smoking marijuana absent behavior that would result in placement in the substance-abuse program, such as an arrest for possession of marijuana.
It takes roughly a month for the marijuana metabolites that show up in a drug test to exit the body in liquid form. So the safest course would be to stop now, 35 days before the testing window opens.
Why am I trying to help out players who may be smoking pot? For starters, any of them who are spending the offseason in Colorado or Washington are doing it legally. Others may have qualified for the medicinal use of it.
I also firmly believe in the rights of the individual versus the rights of the employer. No employer has a legitimate basis to prevent employees from smoking marijuana on their own time, unless the employee has a safety-sensitive job. The NFL has never tried to credibly defend its ban on marijuana by pointing to the possibility of a stoned offensive lineman missing a block and getting his quarterback blown up; the harsh, frank accountability of football keeps that kind of thing from happening.
The prohibition on marijuana use comes from a Father Knows Best approach to players, who are prevented from smoking marijuana even when they are completely away from work for months at a time in the offseason. And the league won’t be giving up that power unless the NFL Players Association makes an equivalent concession in return, within the confines of collective bargaining — even if plenty of strong arguments can be made regarding the therapeutic value of marijuana.
If a player gets arrested for possession or driving while under the influence, that’s a different story. But if a player (or any other employee) opts to smoke marijuana in the privacy of his own home, the NFL (or any other employer) shouldn’t care.
