Following his admission of using marijuana to treat his chronic back pain, the 2016 NBA Coach of the Year winner Steve Kerr has now rang the bell as the league had released an official statement regarding the issue.

"All of our coaches are drug tested each season," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said, according to the veteran sports reporter Chris Haynes of the ESPN in a published article of the NBA.com. "Marijuana is included on our banned substances list," the statement continued.

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On Friday, the 51-year-old head coach of the current league-leading ballclub Golden State Warriors admitted that he resorted to use the cannabis twice over the past year to treat the pain related to the back surgery he underwent last year.

Kerr also reiterated a rampant belief that while he does not necessarily enjoy the drug from a recreational perspective, the former NBA three-point shootout king believed that marijuana use is safer and less habit-forming than other prescription painkillers.

Bass, who is a product of the Washington University in St. Louis, cleared up that there are medical exceptions to the marijuana policy of the NBA, which requires finishing of a substance-abuse treatment program upon a first positive test.

"There are medical exceptions to our policy, but in (Kerr's) case, it's not relevant because Steve said he did not find marijuana to be helpful in relieving his back pain."

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, marijuana is the most commonly used prohibited drug in the United States. The use of the hemp plant, whether by smoking, eating, or inhaling, is widespread among young people in the country.

The use of Marijuana may have a wide range of effects in the human body and mind, which include breathing difficulties, hallucinations, and paranoia. The use of the cannabis has also been linked to anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts among teens, although study findings have been mixed.

During the recently concluded presidential election in the US, the State of California passed a measure that effectively legalizes the recreational use of marijuana.

TagsNBA, Steve Kerr, marijuana, Golden State Warriors