NFL players can no longer be suspended just for testing positive for marijuana. The collective bargaining agreement approved in March 2020 ended marijuana suspensions, raised the THC threshold for a positive test from 35 to 150 nanograms per milliliter, and limited testing to the first two weeks of training camp. Marijuana is still a prohibited substance, though, and a positive test can mean a referral to treatment and fines.
When this site first wrote about the NFL and cannabis in 2013 and 2015, marijuana was costing players entire seasons. Josh Gordon, one of the most gifted receivers of his generation, lost most of five years to substance-abuse suspensions. Today’s rules look nothing like that. Here is how the policy works now, how it got here and how it compares with other sports.
NFL Marijuana Policy at a Glance
| Rule | Before 2020 | Since the 2020 CBA |
|---|---|---|
| THC threshold for a positive test | 35 ng/mL (15 ng/mL before 2014) | 150 ng/mL |
| Testing window | About four months, from April into the season | First two weeks of training camp |
| Suspensions for a positive test | Escalating, up to a year or longer for repeat violations | None for a positive test alone |
| What triggers discipline now | Positive tests, missed tests | Refusing treatment, missing tests, legal violations |
| Who reviews positives | League program | A board of medical professionals appointed jointly by the league and the union |
Sources: Cannabis and sports (citing The New York Times and Sporting News); Sports Illustrated, March 15, 2020; High Times.
What Changed in the 2020 CBA
NFL players ratified a new collective bargaining agreement in March 2020 by a vote of 1,019 to 959, according to Sports Illustrated. The deal promised 10 years of labor peace and rewrote the league’s approach to recreational drugs. The marijuana changes were the biggest in the policy’s history:
- No suspensions for positive tests. A positive marijuana test no longer leads to a suspension. Players can still be suspended for refusing to cooperate with treatment or for repeatedly missing tests, as the New York Times reported.
- A higher threshold. The cutoff rose from 35 to 150 ng/mL of THC metabolite, which means occasional off-season use is far less likely to trigger a positive.
- A short testing window. Testing for marijuana was cut from roughly four months to the first two weeks of training camp. In practice, players who stop using a few weeks before camp will not test positive.
- A medical approach. Positive tests go to a board of medical professionals, jointly appointed by the NFL and the NFL Players Association, which decides whether a player needs treatment, according to High Times.
Fines remain on the books. Reporting at the time said positive tests could still cost players up to three weeks’ pay, according to Business Insider. The full fine schedule is in the league’s confidential substance policy.
Can NFL Players Smoke Weed?
Not officially. Marijuana is still a prohibited substance under the league’s drug program, and possession can still bring league discipline if it leads to legal trouble. What changed is the consequence. A player who uses cannabis in the off-season in a state where it is legal, stops before training camp and stays clear of the law faces very little practical risk. A player who tests positive during camp is evaluated for treatment rather than benched.
Driving under the influence is a separate matter. The 2020 policy set a three-game suspension for a DUI, according to Sports Illustrated, and that applies to cannabis impairment as well as alcohol.
The Suspension Era: Ricky Williams to Josh Gordon
For two decades marijuana was the most common reason good players disappeared from the field.
- Ricky Williams missed the 2004 and 2006 seasons after failing multiple tests under the old 15 ng/mL threshold, as summarized in the Wikipedia overview of cannabis and sports.
- Josh Gordon was suspended for a year in August 2014, cut to 10 games that September, then suspended for the entire 2015 season in February 2015, according to NFL.com. After conditional reinstatements in 2017 and 2020 he was suspended indefinitely again in January 2021, his sixth indefinite ban, according to ESPN.
- In 2016, Baltimore lineman Eugene Monroe and Tennessee linebacker Derrick Morgan became the first active players to publicly push the league to allow cannabis for pain, the Washington Post reported.
Arrests mattered too. Players were regularly picked up for small amounts in states that still criminalized possession, and those arrests could bring league discipline on top of court costs. Dwayne Bowe’s 2013 arrest, which led to a one-game suspension, is a typical example. As more states legalized, the contrast grew hard to defend: Seattle and Denver players lived in states with legal stores while facing suspensions for using a legal product off the clock.
Is the NFL Studying Cannabis for Pain?
Yes, cautiously. The NFL and NFLPA formed a joint pain management committee and in June 2021 put out a call for research on alternatives to opioids. On February 1, 2022 the league announced $1 million in grants to two teams:
- University of California San Diego: a randomized clinical trial comparing THC, CBD, combined THC and CBD, and placebo for pain after game-related soft-tissue injuries in elite athletes.
- University of Regina: research on whether cannabinoids can manage pain and reduce opioid use in athletes with post-concussion syndrome, and whether they protect against concussion.
The league has not changed its rules based on that research, and the medical evidence on cannabis for pain is still limited and mixed. Our cannabis research hub summarizes what the studies show.
How Other Sports Handle Marijuana
| League or body | Current approach |
|---|---|
| MLB | Removed THC and CBD from its drugs-of-abuse list in the 2019 to 2020 off-season; possession and impaired driving can still be disciplined |
| NBA | The April 2023 CBA removed cannabis from the drugs the league tests for |
| NHL | Has long treated a positive test as a treatment referral rather than a suspension |
| UFC | Since January 2021, fighters are not punished for cannabis unless it was used to enhance performance |
| Nevada boxing and MMA | The Nevada State Athletic Commission voted in July 2021 to stop punishing fighters for cannabis |
| Olympic sports (WADA) | Cannabis remains banned in competition above 150 ng/mL; WADA kept it on the list after a 2022 review |
Source for the table: Cannabis and sports, with WADA’s 2022 decision reported by Reuters.
Boxing shows how much has changed. In February 2013 the Nevada commission suspended Julio César Chávez Jr. for nine months and fined him $900,000 after he tested positive for marijuana following his 2012 title fight with Sergio Martínez, according to the Associated Press. Under Nevada’s 2021 rule, that positive would not be punished. Sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, by contrast, missed the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 over a positive test, the Washington Post reported, because WADA’s rules still apply in Olympic sport.
What It Means for Fans and Players in Legal States
Cannabis is legal for adults in many NFL markets, including Seattle, where the Seahawks play. Legal for fans does not mean allowed in stadiums: smoking or consuming cannabis in public, including at games and tailgates, is a civil infraction in Washington under state law. See our Washington marijuana laws guide for what is allowed, and our federal marijuana law guide for where national policy stands in 2026.
NFL Marijuana Policy FAQ
Do NFL players get suspended for weed?
Not for a positive test alone. Since the 2020 CBA, a marijuana positive leads to a medical review and possible treatment and fines. Suspensions can still follow refusing treatment, missing tests or legal violations such as DUI.
What is the NFL’s THC limit?
150 nanograms per milliliter of THC metabolite, up from 35 ng/mL before 2020 and 15 ng/mL before 2014.
When does the NFL test for marijuana?
Only during the first two weeks of training camp, down from a window of about four months under the old policy.
Is marijuana allowed in the NFL now?
No. It is still a prohibited substance, but the penalties for a positive test are much lighter and focus on treatment.
Why was Josh Gordon suspended so often?
He repeatedly violated the league’s substance-abuse policy, starting with a year-long suspension in 2014 that was reduced to 10 games, then a full-season ban in 2015 and several indefinite suspensions through 2021.
Does the NBA test for marijuana?
No. The NBA removed cannabis from its testing program in its 2023 collective bargaining agreement.
For adults 21+ in legal states. General information, not legal or medical advice.