Cabrera Could Receive Treatment Under MLB Drug Policy

After that fateful night last Wednesday, when Everth Cabrera was booked on the suspicion of driving while being  under the influence of marijuana, he could be on the verge of actually receiving the help he needs under the MLB drug policy.

Now the DUI itself is not addressed whatsoever under MLB’s Joint Drug Agreement, but you can sure bet that marijuana certainly is. Under the agreement, marijuana is listed as an abusive drug. The protocol for this is if a player is suspected of using one of the named abusive drugs on the list, they will be subject to being sent to a treatment board for an evaluation that will determine if a player will be admitted to a treatment program or not.

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This treatment program encompasses counseling, in-patient or out-patent treatment and follow up tests. As you can see, this is a pretty thorough treatment that a player like Cabrera would have to go into.  It is one that would take time, patience and a strong commitment from a player to get through and eventually pass and be approved to move on from the program.

The treatment board that Cabrera could be sent to, would be one that is composed of two representatives from both MLB and the Players Union. Both parties are represented by a licensed attorney and doctor, who specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of people who suffer from drug problems.

Here is the catch for Cabrera, if he chooses not to participate with the treatment board, or go through with the treatment program, he will put himself in more jeopardy with the Commissioner’s office in the form of having to pay out progressive fines as the consequence. As major league players, they are payed millions of dollars for the most part, and fines usually are like pocket change to these guys, easy to pay and no long-term damage to there careers.

This case with Cabrera however would not only make him cough up his own money, but could seriously put his career on thin ice and be on bad terms with the Commissioner. He is a player who still has many good years left in him, but as we have seen with past athletes from all sports, it can be taken away in  a heartbeat. This is a golden opportunity for him to get the best help he will ever receive to get rid of this problem, and to get back on track when it comes to not only his career in the majors but to get his personal life back in order.