Opioid testing among MLB players will begin next season

Major League Baseball is going to bat against opioid addiction.

The league and the players’ union have agreed on a new drug policy that would add opioid testing for major leaguers and would not punish marijuana use in the major or minor leagues, according to the Los Angeles Times.

An announcement about the policy is expected to be made on Thursday, according to person familiar with the situation.

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Players testing positive for opioids will be given treatment instead of suspension.

Major league players have not been subject to opioid or marijuana testing, barring reasonable cause or participation in a treatment program, according to the paper.

The policy also would allow major and minor leaguers to use marijuana for pain relief without fear of discipline.

Minor league players up until now have been subject to testing for marijuana and could be suspended for repeated use.

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The new policy covering opioids comes five months after Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died in a hotel room with opioids found in his bloodstream.