Cannabis use in professional sports is becoming more and more common. In a recent interview, a former pro athlete says he thinks that over 80% of professional football players are using cannabis.
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Tavarres King, who was a professional NFL player for over seven years and played for the Georgia Bulldogs, is now involved in the cannabis industry. He told an Atlanta news station that, “I would probably say around 80 % of the guys in our league use cannabis,” and includes himself in that percentage “100 percent.”
“Playing with it, laser-sharp. I was laser-sharp, laser-focused,” King explained. Marijuana helped him deal with his anxiety and helped him focus when he needed it most. When asked about smoking before important games, alongside important players, King said that he still used cannabis to his advantage. “I did my job.”
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Cannabis as a new career
King is the CEO of Suite 420 Access and Rowdy Wellness, two cannabis companies, the former facilitating the entry of minorities to the cannabis industry and the latter selling cannabis wellness products.
“My first love of football has directly guided me to my current career as an entrepreneur in the cannabis industry,” he recently told MG Magazine. “Playing in the NFL, with all of the daily challenges physically, mentally and emotionally, taught me a lifelong lesson that I can achieve anything if I put my mind to it.”
When discussing his interest in the cannabis industry, he said, “I absolutely love this industry—the opportunities it brings, the health and wellness aspects, the business and financial strategies, and especially that it’s still an emerging industry with more room for growth.”
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Pro athletes and cannabis
King joins a growing cadre of pro athletes who believe in cannabis and what it can do for their bodies and performances. Players from the NBA, NFL, MLB, and more have all divulged their cannabis use during games and how the drug helped them achieve their goals and remain focused in moments of high stress.
From using marijuana as a painkiller to helping athletes stay focused, cannabis is becoming a topic that’s more and more openly discussed. Still, sports leagues remain cagey about its use, testing for it and creating controversy out of a drug that’s becoming increasingly accepted and legalized, and that, despite the many reservations that may be, is no performance enhancer.
