With cannabis use an open secret in the NBA, this ex-player is pushing the league to allow CBD

Al Harrington had seen this day coming for years.

As the former NBA forward was in Las Vegas and strolling through MJBizCon, the largest convention for the cannabis trade in the United States, a friend texted him an Instagram post with the news that Major League Baseball will no longer test for marijuana in the minor leagues, a response to opioid use among professional athletes. It was a pivotal turning point for advocates, such as Harrington, who believe cannabis is a healthier medicinal option.

Harrington, the founder of a cannabis company, Viola, has been at the forefront of championing a similar message in basketball.

“I think the day-to-day pain management issues that players deal with can be dealt with through cannabis,” Harrington said of athletes who are often prescribed pain relievers following surgery, including highly addictive opioids. “Something that is all natural and nowhere near as harmful as the stuff that they’re using now.”

Medical marijuana has been legalized in 33 states, and 11 states have voted to allow it for recreational use. Although he’s pro-marijuana, Harrington believes cannabidiol (CBD), the less-stigmatized and less-psychoactive cousin of weed, is an easier product for the NBA to accept.

Along with co-founders Joe Abunassar, a well-known NBA trainer, and Sanford Kunkel, a former team physician of the Indiana Pacers, Harrington started a hemp-derived CBD brand, Harrington Wellness. [Read More @ The Washington Post]

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