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Pro Football Hall of Famer Champ Bailey has quietly been on the payroll of Florida-based cannabis company Trulieve since 2020. Bailey helped them procure medical licenses in Georgia, where he lives.
"We're really trying to grow here, but it's more about educating the public, which has been the biggest barrier," he says.
The largest retail player in Flordia, Trulieve now has six dispensaries in Georgia, including one in Marietta near Atlanta. However, since Georgia only allows products with less than 5% THC, Georgia is not considered a medical-marijuana state.
Trulieve has a total of 228 dispensaries in nine states with a whopping 162 in Florida. Bailey, who played in the NFL from 1999-2013, provides community outreach for the company.
"There's always been a stigma around cannabis" in the South, Bailey adds. "Breaking down those stigmas has been challenging. But, to say the least, we're making some progress, and we're hopeful that people will start coming around to the benefits of cannabis, instead of the negative stigmas we've heard through the course of our lifetime. But minds are changing and people are starting to understand there are more beneficial things about it than negative. I'm just trying to do my part in regards to Trulieve and what I actually believe myself. Progress is being made, but it's slow."
"I did it a few times and it worked for me. It calmed my mind and my body."
Bailey's Personal Cannabis Use
Born in Kentucky in 1978, Bailey, whose actual first name is Roland, was an All-American cornerback at the University of Georgia before being selected in the first round of the 1999 NFL draft by the then-named Washijngton Redskins (now Commanders). In 2004, Washington traded Bailey to Denver where he finshed his career. Bailey was named to the Pro Bowl 12 times and inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2019.
Bailey didn't start smoking weed until 2001 when he was with Washington:
"Most of the people I know who've done it started in their teenage years. I stayed away from it until I was mature enough to really take part in it. It wasn't until my second or third year in Washington when I was exposed to it. I always had some exposure to it from a social standpoint, but I never took part in it. That was because of the way I was raised. I never thought of it being a benefit to my health, but once I saw professionals like myself doing it, I felt more inclined to try. For one, I didn't want to go down the road of alcoholism or being addicted to any drugs, so I made it a point to crawl before I could walk.
"I did it a few times and it worked for me. It calmed my mind and my body. If you're familar with anything in the NFL, it's one of the toughest sports to play. For me, it was: How do I bounce back and stay at the highest level of my game? Well, this helped me do that. Fortunately for me, I found something that benefited me. It's more now: How do I educate people about what it done for me so they can potentially look at it as a positive use for them? Of course, everybody has to walk their own path.
"I recommend to guys all the time: Just talk to you doctor about it. I talked to mine about it. It's one of those things. Let's stop being shy about talking about it and potentially wanting to go down that road. The only way you're going to learn is by being open and honest about your use or your interest in using it. That's sort of been my journey and that journey continues."
"I think the league realized they wasted a lot of resources on something that could actually benefit us, and things have changed."
Beating the NFL's Drug-Detection Program
Unlike Ricky Williams and other players who failed drug tests for THC and received suspensions, Bailey never got caught.
"They were very strict back then," he says, "but I wouldn’t say in a way they wanted to catch you. Like, we knew when the tests were coming, so we always quit at a certain time. That was at a detriment to my recovery because the times we had to quit was in the offseason when they would have these yearly tests.
"It’s one of those times where you’re working harder than you work during the season because you’re training to get back in shape, and those are the times you really want it [cannabis]. I could just remember guys always talking about what we had to quit when. Some guys would get tested earlier than others, so guys would get back on it and others were still waiting. It was a topic of conversation to figure out how to navigate that, but we all stuck together — the ones that were using — and we made sure that we all got through it.
"Some did pass, some didn't. We’ve all had our experiences with the drug program in the league. But, for better or worse, it was a waste of time. When you look back on it, I think the league realized they wasted a lot of resources on something that could actually benefit us, and things have changed. Things have changed over time. And I’m proud to say that they give me the courage to really speak up more because they’re starting to turn the page on what it means to use cannabis."
In 2020, the NFL stopped penalizing players who use marijuana.
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