Karl-Anthony Towns advocates for the use of medical marijuana in the NBA

“I agree with David Stern with marijuana,” Towns told ESPN’s Nick Friedell in a lengthy Q&A on the subject. “You don’t have to actually make it ‘Mary J’ [or] ‘Half Baked.’ You don’t have to do it like that, but you could use the [chemical] properties in it to make a lot of people better. That’s something that Adam Silver has to do.

“That’s out of my control, but maybe legalizing marijuana. Not fully legal where people are chimneys but using [marijuana] as a beneficial factor as an athlete, as a person living daily. I think a lot of times fans forget that sometimes there may be some things that are banned that may not be the greatest for playing basketball, but for everyday living off the court, sometimes those things that are legal could help us.”

“I think we’ve got to change the collective bargaining agreement, then, and let you do what’s legal in your state. If marijuana is now in the process of being legalized, I would think you should be allowed to do what’s legal in your state. So now it’s up to the sports leagues to anticipate where this is going, and maybe lead the way […] I think it’s a very interesting subject, and I think it’s a place where the leagues have an opportunity to do something, led by their players unions and the league offices.”

“I would say it’s something we will look at,” said Silver. “I’m very interested in the science when it comes to medical marijuana. My personal view is that it should be regulated in the same way that other medications are, if the plan is to use it for pain management. And it’s something that needs to be discussed with our Players Association, but to the extent that science demonstrates that there are effective uses for medical reasons, we’ll be open to it. Hopefully there’s not as much pain involved in our sport as some others, so there’s not as much need for it.”

“I don’t think there’s been a proper spokesperson for this subject,” said Stern. “I think that if medical marijuana is available, then it’s up to the individual team doctor. You tell me it worked for you and it worked for others that you knew, then we should find a way to get that defined and made official, and then proceed to educating team docs.”

“I think it’s about keeping an open mind,” Towns told ESPN. “You have to understand what the use is for. Obviously recreational use, that’s something more of a personal hobby. But legalization of medical marijuana has helped millions of people’s lives. I know people who have had very bad arthritis and feel much better about daily movement, be able to be with their grandchildren to a better extent.

“There’s a difference between recreational and medicinal. A Vicodin or Percocet is very, very addicting. And it’s a drug, but used in the right context it can truly help people who are in a tremendous amount of pain. With the right moderation and reasoning for it, it’s very beneficial.”