Cliff Robinson once earned a reputation as one of the NBA’s hardest-working role-players. Today Robinson is known for producing something other than offensive rebounds – cannabis.
The former NBA All-Star for the Portland Trailblazers — who also briefly played for the Golden State Warriors — is now an outspoken advocate for marijuana law reform and also plans to grow a cannabis farm in Oregon, the Portland Business Journal reports.
Robinson is scheduled to speak at the 2016 Cannabis Collaborative Conference next month in Portland, where he spent most of his career playing for the Blazers. A fan favorite, Robinson was affectionately known as “Uncle Cliffy.” Today Robinson made a minor change to his nickname: Uncle Spliffy.
“It’s a chance for me to go out and tell people a little bit about myself outside of basketball,” Robinson said the company journal. “People in Oregon know me as a basketball player, but I want to dispel the stigma around cannabis, the misconception that athletes and cannabis are incompatible.”
Robinson has become one of many former athletes to speak out for athletes who use cannabis to heal and recover. He joins fellow NBA alumni Oscar Robertson, John Salley and Larry Sanders as advocates of medicinal cannabis use.
“Cannabis is definitely a more positive alternative to drugs at the end of the day,” Robinson said in an interview with the Portland Business Journal. “Those are synthetic materials. I’m talking about something natural that can deliver the results you’re looking for, whether it’s muscle tension or relaxation or readiness. There are many different things that are beneficial.”
“If you’re talking about guys playing at a professional level, there’s a lot of physical and mental stress involved, and having something available to you that has health benefits, I don’t see the problem with it myself,” Robinson says. . added.
Portland is one of the new recreational cannabis centers on the West Coast. Recreational marijuana shops opened in Rip City this fall after voters in Oregon voted in favor of the legalization initiative Measure 91 in last year’s vote.
In addition to seizing an exciting new business opportunity, Robinson is also happy to return to Oregon, but this time he is making his way into the cannabis industry.
“Oregon has always been known for good cannabis, and it’s an exciting time to be here,” Robinson said. “I’m excited to be part of a team doing it the right way.”
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