KnowThis: Why This Sport Won’t Test Players For Weed Anymore – NowThis

"I truly believe the best things in life are a result of being bold and being real. Megan Rapinoe endorsing 2020 presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren.by Zinhle Essamuah

Published on 12/14/2019 at 7:00 PM

The House took ahistoric step forwardtoward the impeachment of President Donald Trump today, withthe Judiciary Committee approving the articles of impeachment and sending them to the House floor for a full vote next week. The committee vote took place this morning aftera ridiculous number of hours of debateover the past two days, wherein Republicans introduced a slew of amendments to try and slow the process and kill the charges of abuse of power and obstruction of Congress.All of them failed. We know theres been a lot of procedural updates on impeachment that have been a little hard to follow, but this isthe final step before Trump is formally impeached, so its a major one.

The two articles were approved in a 23-17 vote, with Democrats voting for it and Republicans voting against it. Read the articles of impeachment against Trumphere.

Know This:Donald J. Trump is now only the fourth president in U.S. history to face impeachment for high crimes and misdemeanors.

A 13-year-old boy was arrested and charged in connection with the murder of 18-year-old Tessa Majors, a student at Barnard College in New York City,according to local news reports. Law enforcement officials sayMajors was walking through a park near campus when a group of boys (four or five, according to witnesses) tried to rob her. She was stabbed at some point during the struggle and died in the hospital. The 13-year-old arrested was charged with second-degree felony murder, robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon, but will not be tried as an adult. His statement to investigators led them totwo other 14-year-old suspects potentially involved in the incident.Majors death has shocked and shaken the community at Barnard, a small, all-womens school in NYCs Morningside Heights neighborhood that is affiliated with Columbia University.The city is offering counseling to students and increasing law enforcement presence near the park.

Know This:Tessa Majors was originally from Virginia and was attending her first year at Barnard College. Students say she was interested in journalism and music.We are devastated by the senseless loss of our beautiful and talented Tess,her family said in a statement. We are thankful for the incredible outpouring of love and support we have received from across the country.

Major League Baseball and the Players Association announced big changes to the leagues drug abuse program.Minor league players will now be tested for addictive drugs like opioids and no longer tested for weed. Major league players on a 40-man roster are not tested for weed, but non-40 man roster players in the minor leagues were. The consequences for a positive weed test on a players first offense has been a suspension of 50 games and13 players were suspended in 2019. Now the league istreating cannabis use the same as alcohol use, where players could be disciplined for related misconduct.Opioids and cocaine were among a list of drugs added to the list of banned substances. If a player tests positive for one of these so-called drugs of abuse, they will be referred to a board of experts who will deliver a personalized drug treatment plan a significant shift in drug-testing policy from punishment and isolation to treatment and prevention.Players will also be required to undergo aneducation program on the dangers of opioid pain medications, as well as practical approaches to cannabis use. The new rules will be in effect during 2020 Spring Training."The opioid epidemic in our country is an issue of significant concern to Major League Baseball,"said MLB Deputy Commissioner & Chief Legal Officer Dan Halem. "It is our hope that this agreement which is based on principles of prevention, treatment, awareness and education will help protect the health and safety of our Players."

KnowThis:The change in drug policy comes afterAngels pitcher Tyler Skaggs died in July and was found to have fentanyl and opioids in his system. Fentanyl was not explicitly listed on the MLBs banned substances list at the time.

The Federal Communications Commission hasunanimously approved a planfor a 3-digit suicide prevention number: 988. The number will link callers to a network of already-operating crisis centers around the country. This network isnt new (you can access 100+ call centers by calling 1-800-273-TALK orchatting online), but the FCC says the number will"make it easier for Americans in crisis to access potentially life-saving resources."Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) applauded the FCCs moveon Twitterand urged Congress to move forward on thebipartisan billhe proposed in October, the National Suicide Hotline Designation Act. The bill (with the same aim of setting up the 988 hotline) was co-sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-WI). The 988 number is not yet operational andwon't be available by text, but Lines for Life offers a text service you can access by texting 273TALK to 839863. All major phone providers have been asked to accommodate the 988 number within 18 months.

Know This:The U.S. suicide rate is up 33% since 1999,according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.It is the 10th leading cause of death in the country. If you or someone you know is in crisis, there are resources for you: Call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741, or visitSpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.

Tomorrow marks seven years since the heartbreaking shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary, in which 26victims were killed: 20 children (all ages 6 or 7) and six educators. The shooter (who also killed his mother before going to the school) carried30-round, high-capacity magazines and shot 154 bullets in less than 5 minutes that day.The tragedy shook the nation. President Barack Obama gave emotional remarks in anational addressfollowing the tragedy."The holidays have never been the same,Mark Barden, the father of one of the young victims, saidin remembrance of his son Daniel. I remember he used to run out onto the driveway, sometimes barefoot on the cold pavement, to give his cousins a big hug when they would arrive for the celebration. He loved his family more than anything. Barden is the founder ofSandy Hook Promise,which trains students and adults to know the signs of gun violence.Though this tragedy happened seven years ago,mass shootings involving high-capacity magazines have continued to plague the country, with gun reform advocates even releasinga 2018 yearbookhighlighting all the students lost to school shootings last year. Since then, survivors and advocates have published powerful PSAs (including a chillingback-to-school essentialsvideo, where kids highlight their bulletproof school items) and have pushed fornew legislation imploring Congress to move gun reform legislation forward. Years later, many parents of the victims remainovercome with palpable grief, andthe community continues to mournthe loss of these young lives. If the Sandy Hook children were alive, theyd be in junior high today.

Know This:Shockingly, thistragedy has been shadowed by far-right conspiracy theories and online trolls. Lenny Pozners 6-year-old son was killed in the shooting, and ever since,hes been the target of death threats fueled by far-right commentator Alex Jones conspiracy theorythat his son's murder was a hoax and that the event was fueled by crisis actors.Pozner and his family have relocated at least seven times as a result of the targeting. Heres what thegrieving father has to say.One last thing:The official UK election results are in,confirmingthat Prime Minister Boris Johnson has won a large majority.The leader of the opposition Labour Party, Jeremy Corbyn, said late last night that he will resign his position early next year.Thanks for reading. Be kind to yourself this weekend, and well see you next week!

Zinhle Essamuah,KnowThis Host and Correspondent; Sari Soffer, Supervising Producer, NowThis; andVersha Sharma, Senior Correspondent, NowThis

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KnowThis: Why This Sport Won't Test Players For Weed Anymore - NowThis