Stephen A. Smith explains why it makes sense for Cowboys owner Jerry Jones to be in favor of the NFL dropping the ban on marijuana. (1:55) 
 
 Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and some other NFL owners want to change the way the league punishes players for marijuana. So do the players. But if the talk is about doing away with marijuana testing completely, it may surprise you to learn that the players' position is "not so fast." 
 
 Yes, the players would like to change the league's policy on marijuana, but they don't want to do away with it entirely, because they think the policy can be helpful to them if done the right way. 
 
 Jones and his fellow owners see this as a valuable potential bargaining chip in the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations, which could be coming sooner than you think. 
 
 The location of the common ground these two sides end up finding could have a major impact on the health of the game and its players. And the process of finding that common ground could begin within the next few weeks. But before we can predict what may or may not happen, it's important to examine the motivations of the people on both sides of the issue. 
 
 What the owners want 
 
 The league -- defined here as Jones and his 31 fellow team owners -- has made it clear that it wants to extend the current CBA, which runs through 2020. Sources on both sides expect the league to approach the National Football League Players Association within the coming weeks about opening collective bargaining talks aimed at such an extension. 
 
 From Jones' perspective, the marijuana issue has two key prongs: He doesn't want to lose his players for long stretches at a time because of drug suspensions, and he views marijuana as an issue around which the players would be willing to negotiate. Surely, Jones' fellow owners share the former sentiment and the latter hope. 
 
 What the players want 
 
 According to sources, this topic was discussed extensively at the NFLPA's rep meeting in Arizona last month, and union leaders prepared a proposal for a revised marijuana policy and submitted it to the player reps for review. At this time, the player reps and their teammates are reviewing the policy before submitting it to the league for discussion. 
 
 Sources with knowledge of what was discussed at the rep meeting say the players' new proposal is focused on counseling, treatment and pain management. The players don't necessarily want to do away with marijuana testing; they just want to reduce or eliminate the punitive aspect of the testing process. 
 
 Under the union's plan, the purpose of a marijuana testing program would be to identify players in need of help. Their position is that it's easy to tell the difference, based on the number of nanograms per milliliter (ng/ml) that show up in a test, whether the player is using the drug for recreational use or using it excessively. 
 
 Jerry Jones and his fellow NFL owners see the marijuana policy as a valuable potential bargaining chip in the next CBA negotiations. Ross D. Franklin/AP Photo 
 
 Right now, the NFL standard for a positive marijuana test is 35 ng/ml, which is higher than the 15 it was before the drug policy was renegotiated three years ago but still lower than Major League Baseball's 50 and far lower than the Olympics' 150. So a player could test positive at 35 ng/ml and still get the same level of punishment as one who tests positive at 100 ng/ml. 
 
 The union's position is that those cases need to be handled differently in substantive ways. For example: Should someone test positive above 100 ng/ml, that could be a red flag for an addiction situation or a player who's dealing with some sort of chronic pain that he hasn't previously reported. In a case like that, testing could lead the team and/or league to provide some sort of treatment for the addiction or the pain. 
 
 The important takeaway here is that NFL players don't necessarily want the league to stop testing them for marijuana. The union's proposal basically says, "Let's still test for it, but let's do it in a constructive and less punitive way." 
 
 So, what happens now? 
 
 There are a lot of hurdles yet to be cleared. The drug still isn't legal in every state, and it's against the law to transport it across state lines. The NFL itself doesn't have a defined position on this, and when asked about it, commissioner Roger Goodell usually says something about deferring to medical experts. 
 
 As mentioned earlier, players are currently reviewing the proposal that union leadership drafted last month. The union will not submit the proposal to the league until it's been vetted by its membership. Depending on the timing of that submission, the marijuana discussion could be its own separate thing or part of a larger CBA negotiation. 
 
 Regardless, it's highly unlikely the union will agree to a relaxation of the marijuana policy in exchange for some financial-based CBA concession like stadium credits. Union officials have made it clear for months that they have no interest in granting financial concessions in exchange for nonfinancial ones in any upcoming CBA talks. So if the only reason owners want to talk marijuana is because they think it's important enough to the players to give back some money, they may not find that door wide open to them. 
 
 What's clear is that this is an issue that's not leaving the spotlight anytime soon. But it's not an issue that breaks down along lines as simple as you -- or even Jerry Jones -- might expect. ||||| Getty Images 
 
 Every league meeting includes a variety of sessions attended by a variety of people. Last week in Arizona, one specific session included only the owners. 
 
 Unusual but not unprecedented, the owners-only meeting (technically an executive session of the Finance and Compensation Committees) focused in part on discussions regarding Commissioner Roger Goodell’s next contract and succession planning, based on a potential transition that would be initiated by Goodell after the next labor deal and TV contracts are finalized. The owners-only meeting also included an opportunity for any and all owners to speak about any and all topics they chose. 
 
 Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke extensively during the meeting, per a source with direct knowledge of the session. As a source close to Jones explained it to PFT, Jones knows from experience that most of the membership will choose not to speak up in those situations. Jones decided to introduce topics about which he and other owners have questions or concerns. 
 
 As to the issue of Goodell’s next contract, Jones suggested that all owners be involved in the process. Currently, the Compensation Committee handles the determination and negotiation of Goodell’s pay. Multiple owners currently believe that broader involvement of the membership would result in terms more favorable to the league. (To put it more bluntly, some in the room think they may be paying Goodell too much money.) 
 
 Jones also raised the question of the NFL’s position on marijuana. Jones, per a source who heard the comments, wants the league to drop its prohibition on marijuana use. Jones was reminded that the issue falls under the umbrella of collective bargaining, which would require the players to make one or more concessions in exchange for significant changes to the marijuana prohibition. 
 
 Separately, the league office reiterated to PFT its position that any changes to the substance-abuse policy would occur within the confines of labor negotiations, and that the league is willing to listen to the medical community about any potential changes to the rules regarding marijuana. 
 
 Jones likewise urged an end to the practice of investigating off-field misconduct. The NFL became more proactive regarding these issues after the Ray Rice situation forced the league to no longer defer to the criminal justice system, which often imposes insufficient sanctions for clear acts of misbehavior. 
 
 A league spokesman told PFT that the NFL continues to maintain its commitment to pursuing investigations that are relevant and meaningful, and that the league office always looks to be efficient when conducting investigations. 
 
 The Cowboys had no comment as to any aspect of this story. 
 
 Jones’ concerns regarding marijuana and investigations are understandable; he has seen players like Rolando McClain, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Randy Gregory lost in recent years to suspensions under the substance-abuse policy. As to the league’s recent decision to investigate misconduct even after a criminal case is closed, Jones has lingering frustrations flowing from the Ezekiel Elliott situation, which has still not been resolved by the league. 
 
 That said, a source close to Jones insisted that he remains fully committed to Goodell. Which is important for Goodell, given the influence Jones has over many league matters. 
 
 He’d apparently like to have even more influence as to the three specific issues mentioned. For now, though, it appears that dramatic changes aren’t coming, on any of those points. 
 
 As once source explained it, it’s possible that owners-only meetings will occur on a more regular basis moving forward. This would give Jones and others a chance to raise any and all ideas or concerns that they may have regarding a wide variety of topics and challenges facing the league.
– When NFL owners got together last month, the Cowboys' Jerry Jones floated a provocative idea, reports NBC Sports. He suggested the league lift its prohibition on marijuana and let players indulge. If the league is smart, it will listen, writes Christopher Ingraham in the Washington Post. Jones may be worried in part about losing players to suspensions, but Ingraham has a different rationale: saving lives. As things stand now, teams are happy to dole out opioids to players, even though research has shown they do little to relieve the pain so common to the game. What's worse, opioids run the real risk of getting players hooked. Marijuana, on the other hand, has been shown to help with pain, with nothing close to the health risks of opioids. "The NFL, in other words, is pumping its players full of highly addictive and deadly substances that are of dubious use for treating the long-term, chronic pain suffered by so many players—and fining and suspending players who choose instead to self-medicate with a less-addictive and nonlethal substance," writes Ingraham. The prospects of Jones' suggestion actually happening are unclear. All would have to be worked out in labor negotiations between owners and players, and ESPN reports that players, perhaps surprisingly, may not want to do away with marijuana testing altogether. If players test above a certain level, for example, it may suggest a problem that needs to be addressed. The report sums up an idea being kicked around by the players' union thusly: "Let's still test for it, but let's do it in a constructive and less punitive way."