Wolves' Karl-Anthony Towns says NBA should rethink its marijuana ban

Wolves center Karl-Anthony Towns has a big stage and some weighty opinions. Put the two together and it can be pretty thought-provoking.

On Wednesday, Towns' 22nd birthday, ESPN reported Towns' support for recent comments by former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who said that, as more states legalize both medicinal and recreational marijuana, the league should remove it from its list of banned substances.

Towns said he doesn't smoke or drink. He has never used marijuana.

But he said he has seen the positive effect medicinal marijuana has had.

"I thought it was something that needed to be said," Towns said Wednesday after the team's morning shootaround at Target Center.

"Because there is a bad stigma when it comes to marijuana. Obviously, in the right context, in the right form, it's been beneficial for people."

Towns went to great lengths in the Q&A to stress that his purpose is to make it more possible for people — and league players — to access marijuana's medical benefits.

Towns has clearly put a lot of thought into this. He works with autistic kids back home in New Jersey. His girlfriend, he said, has an autistic nephew. Towns' mother is a nurse. Towns said he has read articles, examined research and talked with his mom. That, coupled with his own experiences, has led him to his conclusions.

"I don't ever say anything without thinking about what I said," he noted.

And he has the stage.

"Karl, he's got a lot of different interests," Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau said. "And I think it says a lot about who he is as a person. In terms of helping people, and people that are suffering, I know that's the type of person he is. He's an open-minded person, he's got great curiosity in a lot of different things. Very thoughtful. So, it was his opinion, it was honest, and I don't have a problem with it."

For that, Towns is grateful.

Asked what he gave teammate Towns for his birthday, Andrew Wiggins said, "a high-five."

Actually, what he gave him was some consternation. As is usual in the locker room, the players make friendly wagers when their old college teams play each other.

And, in the case of Kansas beating Kentucky on Tuesday night, Wiggins came out on top, both financially and in bragging rights.

"Trust me, when I came in, I owed some money," Towns joked.

Backup forward/center Gorgui Dieng missed his third game because of a sprained index finger on his right (shooting) hand. This current stretch of missed games comes on the heels of Dieng having had a streak of 175 consecutive games played.