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Dodgers minor leaguers suspended for marijuana use

Dodgers minor league pitcher Robert Carson, 26, was suspended for 50 games after a second positive tests for marijuana.
(Kathy Willens / Associated Press)
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An increasing number of Americans believe marijuana should be decriminalized, but on Tuesday came a sobering reminder that testing positive for the drug can still have significant consequences.

In the case of left-hander Robert Carson, it will cost him a place in the Dodgers’ major league spring training camp.

Carson was one of two Dodgers minor leaguers who were suspended for 50 games for second positive tests for drugs of abuse. The other was Theo Alexander, a 20-year-old outfielder.

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The players tested positive for marijuana, according to a person familiar with the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

Carson, 26, appeared in 31 major league games with the New York Mets from 2012-2013. He was in spring training with the Angels last year and went on to pitch for the Dodgers’ triple-A affiliate. Carson pitched in the Dominican league this winter and was invited to the Dodgers’ spring training camp as a non-roster player.

With few exceptions, players on the 40-man roster can’t be tested for marijuana. But Carson is a non-roster player.

As a result, he will be suspended for all of spring training, as well as the first 50 games of the triple-A Pacific Coast League season.

For now, he remains under contract with the organization. As he nears the end of his suspension, the Dodgers are expected to reassess his status.

Alexander will be suspended for the first 50 games of the rookie-level Pioneer League, which is where he played last season. A seventh-round pick in the 2012 draft, Alexander batted .217 with three home runs and 15 runs batted in last season.

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Twitter @dylanohernandez

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