Major League Baseball adding opioid testing to new drug policy
Major League Baseball and its player union have agreed to add opioid testing to its drug-testing policies.
Players found to be using marijuana will no longer be punished, according to an agreement announced by ESPN on Thursday.
MLB and the MLB Players Association have been recently negotiating the changes to the league’s drug testing policies.
Players on a major league team’s 40-man roster are not tested for marijuana, but non-40-man roster minor leaguers are suspended 25 games for their first positive drug test, 50 games for the second, 100 games for the third and then are banned for life if tested positive for a fourth time.
As part of a new agreement on opioids being negotiated between Major League Baseball and the players’ union, MLB will remove marijuana from the list of banned substances for minor leaguers, sources tell The Athletic. Major leaguers have not been subject to testing for marijuana.
— Ken Rosenthal (@Ken_Rosenthal) December 10, 2019
Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died from an accidental drug overdose earlier this year. Skaggs, 27, was found to have fentanyl and oxycodone along with alcohol in his system when he died.
Under the changes, players who test positive for opioids would be put into a treatment program rather than suspended. Players who do not adhere to their treatment plans will be subject to discipline.
