NFL players can now smoke twice the amount of marijuana

The NFL and its players association have agreed to new substance-abuse guidelines that include an increase in tolerance for THC levels in an athlete’s blood.

NFL reporter Tom Pelissero reported on the new agreement, posting a summary that was forwarded to athletes’ agents.

Under changes to the Substances of Abuse Policy, the level of allowable THC levels (the psychoactive ingredient in cannabis) in the blood increased from 150 nanograms per milliliter to 350 nanograms per milliliter. This means if the athlete’s blood tests over 350 ng/ml, he would officially test positive.

While this increase of more than 2x seems significant, the odds of a person breaching the old threshold was likely rare; but perhaps the change was made for a reason.

According to website NCIDS.org, a study involving six subjects reported peak THC levels in blood between 46-188 ng/ml within the first 10 minutes of smoking.

This means that unless an athlete had literally just used marijuana right before their drug test, it is highly unlikely they would test positive under the new rules. It would still be difficult if the athlete had smoked within the last hour, as well.

‘Can I post screenshots of text messages with my drug tester?’

Another portion of the updated policy included posting about drug tests or the results on social media. The NFLPA and the NFL agreed to terms that would fine a player $15,000 for “recording and posting [the] collection process” on their personal channels.

Pelissero also posted an image of a hilariously blunt FAQ sheet that was sent out by the players association.

The first question listed asked, “Can I post a photo or video of the white slip notifying me of a drug test?”

“No,” was the answer, alluding to a pattern.

“Can I post screenshots of text messages with my drug tester?” the second question asked.

“No,” was again the answer.

“Can I post a photo, video, or audio from inside the drug testing room during collection?” also received a “no” from the league.

The end of the page added a reminder, answering “yes” to the question, “Was it previously against the rules to publicly post such content?”

The NFLPA admitted there previously was “no clearly defined” disciplinary framework around this subject, which meant the league “had the discretion to impose fines that could have exceeded $15,000.”

Those fines now appear to be limited to the $15,000 mark.

Other new updates to the policy included mandatory fentanyl testing. The tests carry no penalty if positive, but refusing the test is a $15,000 fine. A second missed test would increase the fine to $45,000, which is a change from the previous policy of a one-game suspension.

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