Former NBA stars take their shots in the cannabis industry

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Image of Al Harrington cutting a ribbon in front of Village Hoboken during the store's grand opening.

Al Harrington cuts a ribbon in front of Village Hoboken during the store's grand opening in New Jersey. (Photo courtesy of Viola Brands)

A marijuana store opened in New Jersey by Al Harrington and business partner Dan Pettigrew marks the latest round of former NBA players expanding their reach in the cannabis industry.

Harrington, who played 16 years in the league and grew up in nearby East Orange, New Jersey, recently launched Village Hoboken, the first retail store on the East Coast under the duo’s Viola Brands.

“It’s one of my biggest accomplishments since I’ve been in this space,” Harrington recently told MJBizDaily in a phone interview.

“We’re excited about the impact that we’re going to have with this store and hopefully inspire us into another couple of opportunities in the state.”

Harrington isn’t the only former hoopster grabbing headlines in a different arena as the NBA nears the end of Week 2 of its 2024-25 season.

Basketball Hall of Famer Gary Payton teamed up with Green Label Rx founder Jason McKnight to launch Greater Purpose, a Los Angeles-based wellness brand that fuses cannabis and recovery for athletes and professionals.

And NBA and Syracuse University legend Carmelo Anthony recently launched the Grand National Agency with CEO Jesce Horton and co-founder Brandon Drew Jordan Pierce to improve community engagement and cultural inclusivity while helping new operators and smaller cannabis brands enter strategic markets.

The three are the Main Stage featured panel at MJBizCon on Dec. 4 at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

Elevating the experience for women

Village Hoboken is catering its shopping experience to women, who now comprise the largest purchasing segment of the marijuana industry.

According to a 2023 survey by the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse, cannabis consumption among women 19-30 years old surpassed men in the same age bracket for the first time.

“We have a super conscious effort of trying to elevate the experience for women when they come into our dispensaries,” Harrington said.

“The biggest thing is just curating an environment that they feel comfortable shopping in.”

Part of that effort, according to Harrington, includes hiring more women, who account for about half of the Village’s workforce at its stores in Illinois, Missouri and New Jersey.

A shared journey

Harrington and Payton both were drawn to the plant after experiencing the positive effects cannabis had on their loved ones.

After helping his grandmother, Viola, find treatment for her glaucoma with cannabis, Harrington teamed up with Pettigrew to establish the brand to help others in her honor.

Ninety minutes after her first dose, Viola was brought to tears because she was able to read her Bible verses again, Harrington said.

He frequently touts marijuana’s medical benefits, particularly in helping people with addiction ween off hard recreational drugs and opiates.

“That’s been near and dear to my heart, and I think that’s what continues to push me,” Harrington told MJBizDaily.

Before Payton’s mother died of cancer in 2020, he administered THC-infused rubs, which provided temporary pain relief.

“She’d be laughing and gigging and smiling and eating,” Payton said.

“I’d rather see her that way than struggling and in pain.”

Payton’s Greater Purpose topical products are geared for people with active lifestyles, aging individuals and those seeking alternative, homeopathic options.

“We’re coming to help people naturally,” added Payton, who was nicknamed The Glove for his formidable defense during his basketball career.

Social change

Harrington, who was frequently subjected to stop-and-frisk pat-downs while growing up in New Jersey, also was motivated by social justice and dispelling misperceptions of the plant.

“I became a crusader trying to change the stigma around cannabis and let people know we’ve been lied to forever about cannabis,” he said.

Now, Harrington wants more people of color at the table as the cannabis industry grows, highlighting the racial disparity in marijuana arrests to bring home his point.

Between 2010 and 2018, Blacks were 3.6 times more likely to be arrested for marijuana than whites, according to a study by the American Civil Liberties Union.

In 2020, Black Americans accounted for nearly 39% of marijuana-possession arrests, despite representing 13.6% of the U.S. population and using cannabis as the same rate as white Americans, according to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health.

“We’ve been targeted, and obviously a lot of damage has been done,” Harrington said.

“We have to stand up and fight for it so that we get a chance to participate early in the process, so that we can also benefit and create opportunity for generational wealth.”

For the culture

Grand National is aiming to empower cannabis companies that share the same passion for culture, cultivation and community.

“We established this company to solve a problem in the cannabis industry,” Horton told MJBizDaily via email.

“The dopest brands that support cannabis culture are being lost in the shuffle, and new operators are struggling to differentiate.

“Our priority is bringing the most exciting and ethical products to consumers across the country.”

For its inaugural brand, StayMe7o Cannabis, the company partnered with Black-owned stores in Oregon for the launch.

McKnight, Payton’s business partner in Greater Purpose, served time for felony marijuana charges.

He told MJBizDaily that he understands the pitfalls of bad policy and policing, and McKnight envisions a better day.

“We’re creating a business for people like ourselves that may not be given this opportunity,” he said.

“We’re going to capture this moment. I believe that being Black-owned and being able to bring something like this to the market is historic.”

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A new ballgame

The NBA was among the first professional sports leagues to halt in-season marijuana testing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Under a new seven-year collective bargaining agreement signed in 2023, active NBA players may invest in cannabis companies.

The labor deal, which also eliminated marijuana testing players, is considered the most cannabis-friendly in league history and in all of sports.

Phoenix Suns superstar Kevin Durant has invested in several cannabis companies and openly talks about the wide use of marijuana among today’s players.

Perceptions have changed significantly among current and former players in a relatively short time.

Payton, who played 17 seasons in the NBA, is in talks with Los Angeles Clippers trainers for potential product distribution for players.

Though he doesn’t consume, his name is attached to the incredibly successful Gary Payton strain after signing a licensing deal with Cookies for various products.

“I don’t smoke, but I think that (cannabis) has changed the culture of our world,” he said.

“If we can get this into the athletic environment with these trainers, and these trainers convince their teams to buy this and it helps, you know what is going to happen next?

“Baseball is going to come next, football is going to come next, soccer is going to come next, tennis is going to come next and then we’re going to be all aboard.”

Chris Casacchia can be reached at chris.casacchia@mjbizdaily.com.