Players who test positive for steroids or performance enhancing drugs, masking agents and diurectics get a 10-game suspension (1st offense), a 25-game suspension (2nd offense), a one-year suspension (3rd offense) and disqualification (4th offense).
Marijuana penalties are a $25,000 fine (2nd offense), a five-game suspension (3rd offense), a 10-game suspension (4th offense), and five additional games for each subsequent violation.
According to the league's collective bargaining agreement, a player can only be disqualified for a fourth positive test for performance-enhancing drugs, or a first positive test for "drugs of abuse."
We know Chris Anderson was banned for 2 years from the league because he did coke. David Harrison was suspended 5 games for getting caught the 3rd time.But anyways, the league's marijuana policy is still a joke. Guys like Allen Iverson and Rasheed Wallace pay $25,000 up front every year. So the thing is, you get a fine after the second time you are tested for it. As we know, the testing is random, does not occur very often (3 to 4 times a season) So players can easily get away with smoking pot regardless. The policy is completly ineffective. What Oakley said in 2001 is still true, half the league is on drugs. It's still true today.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2308918
"You test a guy, he gets high the next day," he told the New York Post. "There's no respect for the game no more."
http://www.alternet.org/drugreporter/10555/
Notes: in 1999 , the league started testing for marijuana. Prior to that the testing was done for cocaine primarily.
