Larry Sanders, Marijuana And The NBA’s Anti-Drug Policy
Where The NBA Fits In
Marijuana may be legal in Colorado and Washington, but that doesn’t mean the NBA should feel the need to change its rules to conform. Just like alcohol, marijuana is a mind-altering substance that isn’t appropriate in the work place, and it’s entirely up to one’s employer what is/isn’t allowed.
Considering the employer in question here is a league whose teams dish out millions of dollars to its highest profile employees, I don’t see a problem with the NBA’s anti-drug policy. If you told me I could earn $44 million in four years playing basketball, I guarantee you, the list of things I wouldn’t give up to avoid forfeiting such a cushy situation is a short one.
This Larry Sanders thing is starting to look a lot like Ricky Williams. It's his talent to do what he wants but time is precious in the pros
— Brian Geltzeiler (@BGeltzNBA) January 16, 2015
Most people just think of basketball as a game, but to these players, this is their line of work. Why should we coddle someone who consistently chooses a mind-altering substance over bettering himself for his line of work, especially since smoking isn’t exactly conducive to this particular line of work?
Let’s say the NBA allowed its players to partake. Even if they used it recreationally — or in a more extreme scenario, limited it to offseason use only — can you imagine how quickly that would turn for the worse? Players would start showing up to non-basketball events with glassy eyes and training camps would reveal players in worse shape from smoking all summer.
You thought it was bad when players were criticized for offseason eating habits and showed up for workouts slightly overweight? Just imagine how bad the scrutiny would get if the reasons for players being out of shape were offseason smoke-outs.
It’d only be a matter of time before we saw headlines like “Michael Beasley collapses during conditioning at training camp, cites too many summer blunts.”
The NBA is a private entity. No matter your stance on marijuana, if an association — centered around athletes in peak physical condition — doesn’t want its players to be partaking, it has that right. Players don’t like it? They’re free to walk away from being a millionaire and preserve their right to light up a joint.
Beasley’s bust of a career certainly hasn’t strengthened the argument that NBA players can smoke up and still have productive careers.
I sincerely hope Larry Sanders finds peace and clarity. Hope MIL is offering up help if he needs it.
— Maxwell Ogden (@MaxwellOgden) January 16, 2015
I won’t pretend to be an expert on mental illness, and in the event Sanders has bigger issues going on, obviously that would drastically change this discussion. But as far as we know, that isn’t the case, and even if addiction were a problem here, Sanders certainly has the means to get the help he needs.
In 20 years, we may look back on Larry Sanders’ multiple marijuana-related suspensions and laugh. But for right now, rules are rules, and Sanders shouldn’t be pitied as a victim of the NBA’s “silly” anti-drug policy.
Rather, he should be pitied as someone whose past has apparently rendered him incapable of making the kind of decisions that will get a once-promising career back on track.