NBA Drug Policy: What drugs are banned in the NBA?

After violating the NBA Drug Policy, Cleveland Cavaliers big man Tristan Thompson has been suspended for 25 games and is expected to miss the next few months. According to the league's official announcement, Thomspon tested "positive for ibutamoren and SARM LGD-4033."

The veteran big man was part of the Cavs' hot run lately, with eight straight wins and 13 over the last 16 games.

Both substances are part of the illegal drugs that are included in the NBA Drug Policy. The list also includes drugs like amphetamine, cocaine, fenethylline and methamphetamine.

According to ESPN, the list also includes performance-enhancers like adrafinil, anastrozole, boldione and more, as well as diuretics like amiloride, bumetanide, clopamide and furosemide.

Cannabis no longer part of the NBA Drug Policy

For years, marijuana was part of the prohibited substances list of the NBA, and if a player tested positive, he would be suspended, based on the NBA Drug Policy.

Several players had called the league to re-examine the policy and remove cannabis from the list. NBA megastar Kevin Durant revealed in the summer details of a conversation he had with NBA Commissioner Adam Silver

"He smelled it when I walked in," Durant said. "So, I didn't really have to say much. He understood where this was going. It's the NBA. Everybody does it, to be honest. It is like wine at this point.

"I felt it was becoming a thing around the country, around the world. The stigma behind it was not as negative as it was before. It does not affect you in any negative way."

Several sports personalities have called for the removal of cannabis from the drugs list, citing the benefits it has for athletes' mental and physical health. These benefits vary from improving the quality of sleep and mental health issues as well as help players recover from injuries.

In 2018, Adam Silver talked about why marijuana was part of the drug list of the NBA Drug Policy.

"I understand that for some players, marijuana is a way of dealing with these issues," Silver said. "It's a question: If we ban marijuana, what they will otherwise use?

"I had players tell me, 'I don't smoke marijuana, because it is banned, and I accept that. So instead, I was written a prescription by a team doctor for an anti-anxiety medication, and this medication makes me uncomfortable.' I recognize that that medication may be worse for the player than smoking marijuana."

Fast forward to today, things changed and the new CBA between the league and NBPA no longer has marijuana as a prohibited substance, and players can smoke without being afraid that they would test positive.

Under the current NBA Drug Policy, players can have up to nine drug tests. Of these random, unannounced tests, six are urine and three are blood tests.