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NEW YORK, NY — In response to a number of players’ and coaches’ concerns about the league’s harsh punishments for using marijuana, the NFL could soon change their drug policy, according to a report from ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano.

A source told Graziano on Tuesday that the renegotiation of the drug policy, which has been going on since 2011 and includes testing for HGH, also will significantly increase the threshold for a positive marijuana test and reduce the punishments for violations involving marijuana.

Currently the World Anti-Doping Agency has less strict rules on marijuana thresholds than the NFL does, leading many to argue that the league’s guidelines are outdated.

In addition to reducing penalties for marijuana violations and increasing the threshold for a positive test, the NFL Player’s Association has requested that the league consider studying the medical research that has led to the legalization of medical marijuana in many states.

The new potential for reduced punishments for marijuana use would not be enacted until the NFL’s new drug policy goes into place, but there is no definitive timeline for approval of the policy, as the NFL and the Player’s Association have been locked in a stalemate over discipline arbitration for some time.  The Player’s Association wants appeals to be heard by an independent arbitrator, while the NFL wants the league commissioner have the final say.

Cleveland Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon is the latest NFL player to test positive for marijuana after reportedly failing a drug test. Gordon, the Browns top receiver last year with 87 passes caught for 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns, is facing a one-year suspension from the NFL.

Other sports leagues, most recently the NCAA, have reduced penalties for marijuana use by players.

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