From Sports Illustrated...The Nevada referendum to legalize marijuana will have no impact on the 2007 NBA All-Star game in Las Vegas, commissioner David Stern tells SI.com.
On November 7 the state will vote on Question 7, a law that would allow anyone over the age of 21 to possess and use up to one ounce of marijuana in private homes or buildings. Currently Alaska is the only state to penalty-free possession of marijuana while Colorado, with Amendment 44, has a similar question on the table.
The NBA, however, prohibits the use of marijuana, with any player testing positive subject to a five-game suspension.
In 2001 former NBA forward Charles Oakley suggested 60 percent of NBA players used marijuana while polls put the number at closer to 30 percent. Even if the question passes -- a recent poll in the Las Vegas Review-Journal indicates that 42 percent of Nevada residents support legalization -- the league will not look to move the All-Star game out of Las Vegas.
"It will have no impact whatsoever," says Stern. "Our rules on marijuana use are clear. Those rules don't change no matter where we play."