Many viral moments have originated from famed sportscaster Stephen A. Smith’s distaste in marijuana, particularly for pro athletes, but with cannabis testing becoming less and less stringent, Smith’s opinion is becoming less popular.
With boxing champ Mike Tyson becoming such a formidable figure in canna-business, its a comedic moment watching Smith being convinced by Tyson of marijuana’s health benefits and how the weed could possibly helped the hyped commentator with his perceived “paranoia”.
Travis Kelce is a future first-ballot Hall of Famer. After playing as a hybrid QB/TE for the University of Cincinnati, he was taken in the third round of the 2013 draft by the Chiefs. From there, he has blossomed into one of the league’s greatest-ever tight ends. He became TE1 for the Chiefs in his sophomore year and currently holds a host of records at the position. Furthermore, he sits fourth all-time in receiving yards for a tight end as he enters his tenth NFL season.
But we’re not here to talk about Travis Kelce. Instead, we’re here to make talk about a bold claim he made in a recent interview. According to Kelce, between 50 and 80 percent of all NFL players smoke weed. Additionally, Kelce revealed just how players get away with such a prevalent practice.
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI – JUNE 13: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs speaks to the press during Chiefs Mini Camp on June 13, 2023 at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Kyle Rivas/Getty Images)
Speaking with Vanity Fair, Kelce revealed how NFL players typically get away with smoking weed. “If you just stop in the middle of July, you’re fine. A lot of guys stop a week before and they still pass because everybody’s working out in the heat and sweating their tail off. Nobody’s really getting hit for it anymore.” In 2021, the NFL relaxed its stance on marijuana. Players were only tested in a two-week window before the season, as opposed to more rigorous testing schedules. Furthermore, the threshold for a positive test was raised from 35ng/ml to 150ng/ml.
While Kelce hasn’t been suspended during his time in the NFL for smoking the good kush, he was in college. He missed the entire 2009 season for violating the NCAA’s marijuana policy. Meanwhile, Kansas City legalized recreational weed this year. As a result, there are just six teams still located in states where weed is illegal under all circumstances. They are both Texas teams, the Falcons, Panthers, Packers, and Colts. However, if what Kelce says is true, it’s like that’s not stopping players lighting up.
Afroman has had another run-in with the law. This time, he was arrested at the Canadian border for attempting to return to America with marijuana.
According to TMZ, Afroman and his team were detained at the U.S. Border as Border Patrol officers at the St. Lawrence River in upstate New York revealed a ton of cash and marijuana was located in the vehicle. The sum was of $10,000, but the weed was a very minimal personal amount.
Afroman stated he was carrying cannabis pain lotion, which he forgot about as he was heading to a booking. He was held for five hours and fined $500.
Additionally, his DJ was fined $500 for a small amount of cannabis gummies.
The money was declared, and the marijuana was ceased, allowing Afroman and his team to enter the country.
An NCAA committee has proposed that marijuana be removed from the organization’s list of banned substances. Furthermore, the committee suggested that drug testing in college athletes should be strictly limited to detecting PEDs. The suggestion comes from the Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports after Division II and Division III leadership asked the committee to investigate the issue.
The NCAA first implemented drug testing for championship events in 1986. Individual NCAA member schools are also expected to test athletes to ensure compliance with NCAA standards. Additionally, the committee suggested halting cannabis tests at such events until a final decision is made. That decision would likely be made this fall. For such a radical move to occur, legislation would need to be introduced and approved by all three NCAA divisions.
INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA – JANUARY 20: General view of NCAA headquarters exterior on January 20, 2022 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Mitchell Layton/Getty Images)
The committee’s recommendation is the latest in a series of moves to better define the NCAA’s testing policy. In December, the committee noted that marijuana and its byproducts are not considered performance-enhancing substances. Additionally, they suggested moving toward policies that focused on the threats of addiction and marijuana use, as opposed to simply punishing its use. Furthermore, the committee raised THC detection levels to match those of the World Anti-Doping Agency. Practically, this means positive tests occur at a lower rate.
It’s not the only change that the committee is proposing and making. In another proposal, the committee recommended raising the threshold for the detection of hormone GW1516. Originally used in diabetes treatments, it was removed from general public consumption in 2007. However, contaminated supplements are rare but not unheard of. However, it remains to be seen whether these major changes will be accepted by the often archaic organization. Follow all the latest sports news here at HotNewHipHop.
The legalization of marijuana in the United States remains a topic of debate amongst the House of Representatives as well as the US population. For Minnesota, this debate has come to a conclusion. On Friday, the Minnesota Senate voted to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. The Democrats have been able to make major advances in the state of Minnesota. Additionally, The passing of this bill will allow adults 21 or older to use marijuana, This would equate to the US laws of alcohol as well as purchasing cigarettes.
Recently, the state has made major advances toward political issues such as abortion laws, clean energy, children’s school lunch funding, as well as rights for convicted felons to become registered voters. The democratic lead House of Representatives was able to persuade the entire House of as well as the state to push these bills into motion. Tim Walz has been the governor of Minnesota since 2019. He supported the move calling it a “transformative moment” for the state highlighting the redemption of people who have lost their rights in Republican-led states.
The House Of Representatives
St. Paul, Minnesota. Joe Hobot, president and CEO of American Indian OIC speaks at a rally at the Capitol in support of legislation to spend nearly $84 million toward the cost of new buildings for nonprofits that provide services the groups consider critical to the Twin Cities Native American community. (Photo by: Michael Siluk/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)
Furthermore, President Joe Biden has announced a plan to pardon federal marijuana offenses for smaller possession. This past October, Biden’s announcement was motivated by clearing the criminal records of former and current inmates. “No one should be in jail just for using or possessing marijuana,” he said. “It’s legal in many states, and criminal records for marijuana possession have led to needless barriers to employment, housing, and educational opportunities,” he added.
Minnesota is on track to becoming the 23rd state in the United States to legalize the use of marijuana for recreational purposes. Prior to Minnesota, Maryland was the last state to legalize recreation. Do you believe more states will soon follow Minnesota in passing the legalization? Let us know in the comments down below.
The NBA is reportedly removing marijuana from its list of banned substances. Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the league will no longer test players for the drug as part of the new collective bargaining agreement with the National Basketball Players Association. The agreement will last for seven years with a mutual opt-out following the sixth year.
The news comes after the NBA temporarily stopped testing for marijuana during the 2019-20 season. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver explained at the time: “We decided that, given all the things that were happening in society, given all the pressures and stress that players were under, that we didn’t need to act as Big Brother right now. I think society’s views around marijuana has changed to a certain extent.”
Adam Silver At A Press Conference
OAKLAND, CA – JUNE 01: NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media before Game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals at ORACLE Arena on June 1, 2017 in Oakland, California. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
There are several other distinct updates with the new CBA as well. Firstly, awards will now require a minimum of 65 games played for qualification. This will hopefully help curb the rise of load management for star players. Additionally, both the league and NBPA have agreed to increase the upper limits on contract extensions from a 120% increase on a current deal to 140%.
The new CBA reportedly also paves the way for a long-rumored in-season tournament that could arrive as soon as the 2023-24 season. With this new format, pool-play games will be incorporated into the regular-season schedule starting in November. Eight teams will then advance to a single elimination tournament the following month. Las Vegas is being discussed as a neutral location to host the final four. The league will award $500,000 per player to the winning team of the in-season tournament.
Tamika Tremaglio, Executive Director of the NBPA, said on Twitter, Saturday: “Since day one, the goal of the NBPA in this negotiation was to protect our players, enrich their lives on and off the court, and establish a framework that recognizes our players as true partners with the governors in both the NBA and the business world at large!”
Tamika Tremaglio’s Statement
Since day one, the goal of the NBPA in this negotiation was to protect our players, enrich their lives on and off the court, and establish a framework that recognizes our players as true partners with the governors in both the NBA and the business world at large! https://t.co/cZsXJgHw9R
Wiz Khalifa took issue with people saying that quitting weed has changed their lives in a recent rant on social media. While he admits that quitting can have a positive effect, he doesn’t want to hear it from anyone who hasn’t been clean for at least a decade.
Wiz addressed the issue in a video shared on his Instagram Story, last week.
“Check this out: if you smoked weed for the majority of your life and you just stopped smoking weed, don’t try to convince everybody that your life has changed so much just ‘cause you quit smoking weed, dog,” Wiz began.
NEWPORT, ISLE OF WIGHT – SEPTEMBER 11: Wiz Khalifa performs on Day 4 of Bestival at Robin Hill Country Park on September 11, 2016 in Newport, Isle of Wight. (Photo by Joseph Okpako/WireImage)
“That shit – it don’t happen that fast,” he added. “Tap in about 15 years when the effects really kick in. A year, a couple days, a few months… That ain’t long enough to see no progress, fam. Straight up.”
He continued: “And if you wasn’t getting shit done off of weed, it’s probably just ‘cause you don’t know how to get shit done. Some people eat too much and they get fat. You gotta know how to moderate that shit. So if you been smoking 10-15 years, tap in 15 years later if you not smoking weed and then make a fucking video.”
While he’s not quitting weed anytime soon, Wiz did recently share a track titled “NeverDrinkingAgain.” Posting the song on social media at the end of 2022, Wiz wrote: “Just in time for New Years. Enjoy your festivities drink responsibly and tag me when you use this sound in your video the day after #neverdrinkingagain.”
