Towns: NBA should remove cannabis from banned substances

Minnesota Timberwolves big man Karl-Anthony Towns has witnessed firsthand how medicinal marijuana can have a positive impact on ones life, which is why he'd like to see the NBA reconsider its stance on the substance.

"I agree with David Stern with marijuana," Towns told ESPN's Nick Friedell, echoing Stern's belief that marijuana should be allowed for medicinal purposes. "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."

Towns has a girlfriend whose nephew is autistic. Some of the treatments used to handle the neurodevelopmental disorder involve properties of marijuana.

"I've seen nothing but benefits for him," Towns added. "And I'm very happy that he finds comfort. He finds that normalcy every day. Just like a father, a mother, a parent with a child, you'd do anything for your child."

The league's current marijuana policy involves a mandated substance-abuse treatment program that must be completed following a positive test. A second would result in a $25,000 fine, with suspensions for every infraction from that point onward.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr used marijuana as part of his pain regiment stemming from multiple back surgeries. He believes cannabis is a better solution than prescription painkillers, which could cause more damage to the body.

Towns, meanwhile, admitted he's never smoked in his life. Nonetheless, having been around his girlfriend's nephew, as well as children at autistic schools, the 22-year-old knows the positives greatly outweigh the negatives in its usage.

"These guys, just because we're NBA athletes, we're not super humans," he said. "Some of us have conditions that could use (medical marijuana) to our benefit for everyday living, just taking care of our kids and our families."