Fansided

Should NFL reconsider stance on marijuana?

By Dani Bostick

Oct 20, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) celebrates his touchdown catch against the Houston Texans during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 20, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant (10) celebrates his touchdown catch against the Houston Texans during the first half at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 23, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon (12) is interviewed on the field after the game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Browns defeated the Falcons 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 23, 2014; Atlanta, GA, USA; Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon (12) is interviewed on the field after the game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Browns defeated the Falcons 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has violated the NFL’s substance abuse policy multiple times.

Testing windows for drug use are very limited, so if a player passes a drug test in the offseason or preseason, it is unlikely he will be tested again until the following year. Gordon was already on the league’s radar when he was drafted since he got in trouble for smoking marijuana in college. Pre-NFL drug abuse or troublesome behavior can also land a player in the intervention program. Other players come to the program after failing the initial drug test. Program participation is the only consequence at this point.

The intervention program involves an action plan and more frequent testing, giving players who get caught with THC in their systems a wake up call and chance to stop with support from the league. Or, further opportunities to fail tests. Gordon estimates that during his first two years in the league he was subjected to 180 drug tests. He failed several, but had he been tested by the World Anti-Doping Agency his THC levels would have been low enough to pass.

The more tests players fail, the longer their suspensions become until they are suspended indefinitely. That is the situation Gordon has found himself in, suspended for the 2015 season, after failing multiple tests, one of which registered 16 nanograms per milliliter, only one nanogram over the threshold, which has since been raised to 30 nanograms per milliliter.

An addition complication, however, is that the league cannot verify, confirm, or release any information about a players test results or treatment. Employees who violate this policy are subject to $500,000 fines. So, in the case of Gordon, and many other athletes, the only source of information is the athlete himself.

While that test was barely over the limit, it is important to note that Gordon has also been arrested for driving while impaired. Meanwhile, the Browns are without their talented receiver who could have helped them become stronger competitors in the AFC North.

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