NFL Hall of Fame candidate, cannabis entrepreneur and former Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams has announced his support for Florida's Amendment 3, which will be put to voters in the upcoming November election.
“I know firsthand the marginalizing and debilitating impacts of marijuana criminalization,” Williams said in a statement released by Florida Politics.
“I want to pass on my experience to the next generation, end the unjust criminalization and stigma against cannabis, and return Florida to the same level of freedom that more than half the country already enjoys,” Williams said. “You can accomplish this by voting YES on Measure 3 in November.”
Williams played 11 seasons in the NFL before retiring from the Miami Dolphins after receiving a one-year suspension for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He paid the fine and returned the following year, but marijuana-related issues dogged him despite his impressive performances on the field, including winning the Heisman Trophy in 1998 and breaking multiple NCAA records.
Williams, along with several other athletes including Calvin Johnson, Al Harrington and Rob Sims, attended the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago in 2022. Check out this year's conference, which takes place in Chicago on October 7-8.
Related article: 'It takes a village to build generational wealth': NBA's Al Harrington talks full circle moment and opening a cannabis dispensary in New Jersey
Morgan Hill, a spokeswoman for Smart & Safe Florida, called Williams' story “an important case study in why passing Amendment 3 is an important and long-needed step forward for the state of Florida.”
“No one should be allowed to have their life changed simply by using marijuana,” Hill told the outlet. “I appreciate his support and look forward to continuing to grow this great coalition to legalize recreational marijuana for adults in Florida.”
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Meanwhile, Smart & Safe released a new campaign ad on Tuesday called “The Hypocrisy of Alcohol vs. Marijuana.”
“A recent FDA study found that alcohol has higher rates of use disorder than marijuana. Additionally, the FDA found that while alcohol has the most harmful effects, marijuana ranks lower,” noted Smart & Safe, the group behind the Amendment 3 campaign.
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