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Former Detroit Lion Calvin Johnson Approved to Open Marijuana Store

Former Detroit Lion Calvin Johnson Approved to Open Marijuana Store

Business

Former Detroit Lion Calvin Johnson Approved to Open Marijuana Store

He’ll be bringing legal weed to the same state he played for.

Calvin Johnson, who used to play wide receiver for the Detroit Lions, continues to be a high profile presence in Michigan. Now, he’s planning to move into the state’s medical marijuana scene. Recently, the former NFL player received preliminary approval to open a medical marijuana dispensary.

Calvin Johnson Approved for Medical Marijuana Dispensary

As reported by local news source MLive, Michigan’s Medical Marihuana Licensing Board today granted preliminary approval for Johnson to open a medical marijuana dispensary. The board reportedly voted 4-0 to approve Johnson’s application.

This is the first step toward Johnson being able to open a dispensary. But today’s approval is only a preliminary one. As such, it doesn’t yet give him all the necessary licenses and approvals required to open up shop.

From here, Johnson will need to clear a series of additional approvals and obtain all necessary licenses. For now, his application is reportedly linked to an office address in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan.

But, that same town passed an ordinance last month barring any medical marijuana businesses from opening in the community. It’s unclear if Johnson’s planned dispensary would try to open in Bloomfield Hills, or if that is simply an administrative office.

Johnson’s approval was one of many issued today by Michigan’s Medical Marihuana Licensing Board. In fact, the agency granted preliminary approval to 84 potential medical marijuana businesses. Additionally, it considered giving final approval to 17 other medical marijuana businesses.

In recent years, Michigan has dramatically overhauled its medical marijuana program. At one point, state officials considered closing all dispensaries while new regulatory frameworks were finalized.

Fortunately, the state chose not to shutter dispensaries. Instead, businesses were for the most part allowed to remain open while lawmakers crafted the new program. Now, the state appears to be back on track in terms of reviewing and approving applications for new businesses.

Celebrities Moving into Marijuana Industry

Calvin Johnson is far from the first big-name personality to try their hand at the legal marijuana industry. In fact, tons of celebrities, including musicians, movie stars, professional athletes, and more, have opened various types of marijuana businesses.

For example, musical artists such as Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Willie Nelson, and others have launched cannabis brands. Similarly, TV and movie stars including Woody Harrelson and Whoopie Goldberg have also made moves into the industry. And the list could go on much further.

Among all these high-profile figures, pro football players have a unique relationship to cannabis. That’s because many pro football players have been at the forefront of movements to normalize medical marijuana.

Under NFL rules, players are not allowed to consume cannabis. Yet, many players deal with constant injuries and pain. In many cases, this forces them to use potentially addictive or harmful prescription painkillers.

In recent years, many players have pressured the league to allow players to access medical cannabis. For the players making this case, medical marijuana promises to be a much safer, healthier, more natural way to cope with pain and injuries. Even more, it could be an effective way to bypass the potential dangers of relying too much on prescription painkillers.

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