The WNBA is potentially poised to join the ranks of sports leagues that have revised their marijuana policies, with details about negotiations for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA)—which has now been agreed to in principle—indicating that the women’s basketball league is prepared to eliminate cannabis testing for players.
As part of the negotiations between the Women’s National Basketball Players’ 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.
ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne posted screenshots of slides she said were presented to players during a meeting with league representatives last month. In one slide titled “WNBA CBA Proposal: Summary of CBA Improvements,” a list of 37 potential compromises includes an item that says simply, “Elimination of Marijuana Testing.”
ESPN described the league’s offer to end marijuana testing as one of several areas in which it “compromised” with players.
Current WNBA policy treats cannabis significantly more restrictively compared to the NBA, as well as multiple other professional sports leagues beyond basketball that have also adopted reforms amid the state legalization movement. Marijuana remains listed as a “prohibited substance” 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.
The document describing the league’s position in the new CBA negotiations also lists “New Treatment Programs for Marijuana/Alcohol Abuse” and “Shorter Disqualification Periods under Anti-DrugProgram” as items it offered.
On Friday, WNBA and the players association announced that representatives signed a term sheet for a new CBA and released a summary of “key elements” of what they described as a “tentative” deal. Marijuana and drugs are not mentioned in the two-page summary of the full agreement, which is now subject to being ratified by players and the league’s Board of Governors, so it’s not clear how the issue will ultimately be handled.
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.
But CBD, a non-intoxicating cannabinoid, is federally legal—and the sponsorship arrangement didn’t change the fact that players would still be tested and potentially penalized for testing positive for THC.
Meanwhile, Brittney Griner—a WNBA player who was previously incarcerated in Russia over possession of marijuana—pulled out of an appearance at a cannabis event last year after discovering what she felt was a threatening message in her hotel room.
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.
How other sports leagues have navigated marijuana policy for players amid the reform movement.
NBA, for its part, removed marijuana from the banned substances list for players in 2023, and it also freed them up to invest in and promote cannabis companies.
The NFL, meanwhile, reached an agreement with its players union in 2024 to further reform its marijuana policies, significantly reducing fines for positive tests while increasing the allowable THC threshold for players. About four years after NFL ended the practice of suspending players over cannabis or other drugs as part of a collective bargaining agreement, the league again revised its Substances of Abuse Policy and Performance Enhancing Substances Policy.
The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in 2024 voted to remove marijuana from its banned substances list for Division I players.
The reform builds on a 2022 change that increased the allowable THC threshold for college athletes, aligning NCAA’s rules with those of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA).
In October, Nevada regulators officially adopted a rule change that will protect athletes from being penalized for using or possessing marijuana in compliance with state law.
The head of the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) blasted the “unfair” ban on marijuana for athletes competing in international sport events, including the Olympics that were underway in Paris at the time of the comments.
USADA CEO Travis Tygart said it was “disappointing” that WADA has maintained the cannabis prohibition based on what he considers a misguided justification.
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’Carri Richardson, who was barred from participating in the Olympics in 2021 after she tested positive for THC. Richardson said she used cannabis to cope with the recent passing of her mother.
While UFC announced in late 2023 that it was formally removing marijuana from its modified banned substances list for athletes, the league notified participants that the reform didn’t apply under California State Athletic Commission (CSAC) rules.
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.
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.
That year, NFL announced it was partnering with Canadian researchers on a clinical trial to test the safety and efficacy of CBD for pain management and neuroprotection from concussions—key issues for many football players who experience injuries as part of the game.
Separately, NFL and the Denver Broncos in 2024 asked a federal court to reject a player’s lawsuit alleging discrimination over penalties he incurred due to positive THC tests from his prescribed use of a synthetic cannabinoid.
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’s their view that use of cannabis can lead to on-field injuries, poor job performance and “alienation of the fans.”
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
