NBA stars are known for their highflying feats on the court. Now, they might just be high.
Let’s be clear: Today’s highly potent marijuana is anything but “recreational,” as the U.S. surgeon general and every major medical association in the nation have said for years. Still, the NBA and its players may now give THC drug products their imprimatur. Any suggestion that the league would indirectly promote drug use should be shocking to fans, parents and policymakers.
Pot shops in some American cities have their heaviest concentrations in lower-income and minority neighborhoods. The league and the players association would do well to acknowledge that Big Marijuana is targeting those communities heavily. That might make for a moneymaking opportunity for a player, but you can’t spin it as a good thing for the community.
Young people idolize their favorite sports figures. They seek to emulate them. Encouraging more young people to engage in high-potency THC use would make the NBA little better than the insatiable marketers of Big Marijuana who could care less about the consequences.