“I wouldn’t call myself paranoid ” – Stephen A. Smith responds to Mike Tyson about dogmas around athletes using weed

Stephen A. Smith's iconic "stay off the weed!" line has become incredibly popular over the years. When it was determined during the infamous 'Bubble' that the league would no longer test for marijuana use, Smith's famous line made the rounds.

Again, recently, when it was formally announced that the league was done with marijuana testing as a whole, the "stay off the weed!" meme was put to good use. On the heels of Kevin Durant taking credit for helping the league do away with testing for marijuana as a whole, Smith spoke about the matter.

As he explained, although he famously told athletes to stay off the weed because it was costing them money by failing tests, he isn't against marijuana entirely. While speaking with the one and only Mike Tyson, Smith asked whether or not marijuana would help him.

Tyson, a vocal advocate for marijuana usage, joked that using weed would make Stephen A. Smith less paranoid and suspicious. The comment drew a laugh from Smith, who responded by saying:

"I'm not paranoid, Mike! I wouldn't call myself paranoid. I'm alert. I got to watch out for stuff, but I wouldn't say I'm paranoid, Mike."

After Tyson pointed out that a person who is paranoid would never say they're paranoid, Stephen A. Smith asked whether smoking would keep him alert. Tyson said:

"Depends on what you smoke, the sativa keeps your brain going fast and the indica keeps you relaxed and tired. ... I like sativa. I like to keep my mind working, I like to be up and pumping."

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Stephen A. Smith's gripes a thing of the past with NBA's decision to do away with marijuana testing

Stephen A. Smith's gripes about players needing to stay off marijuana in order to stop paying fines seems to be now a thing of the past.

While the decision to put testing on hold was made several years ago, it wasn't until the league ratified a new CBA that the change was made official. According to Kevin Durant, who spoke at GamePlan 23 this week, marijuana is becoming just as common as wine, with many NBA players partaking in it.

Although it may come as a surprise to some, it sounds as though Adam Silver may agree with Kevin Durant, based on a meeting the two had recently.

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Durant recalled the situation while speaking on stage:

"I actually called him and advocated for him to take marijuana off the banned substance list. I just felt like, it was becoming a thing around the country, around the world, that the stigma behind it wasn't as negative as it was before. ...

"He smelled it when I walked in. So I didn't really have to say much, you know what I'm saying? He kind of understood where this was going. ... It's the NBA, man. ... Everybody does it, to be honest. It's like wine at this point."

Whether or not we get an update on Stephen A. Smith giving marijuana usage a try, only time will tell.