From A Stripped Olympic Gold Medal To Successful Business: Snowboarder Ross Rebagliati's Cannabis Story

Ross Rebagliati won the gold medal in the men's giant slalom snowboarding event at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. However, following a positive test for cannabis, his medal was stripped from him days after his victory.

At the time, his system contained 17.8 nanograms in his urine test, well above the set limit of 15 nanograms.

Rebagliati argued that inhaling secondhand smoke at a party the night before departing for the Olympics was the cause of his positive test. His appeal led to his gold medal being restored.

Canada, Cannabis And Business

His home country legalized recreational cannabis some two decades later. Now, half a decade after Canada's policy change, the sentiment is mixed on its results.

Rebagliati says the cannabis industry's growth in Canada has been obstructed by restrictions imposed by the government and the stigma around the plant that still exists.

"The industry is hurting right now," he told CBC Radio West's host Sarah Penton. "There's been a bunch of restrictions that are holding us back as far as marketing. And the tools that you need to get brand traction just aren't there."

The Olympic gold medalist founded a medical marijuana dispensary in 2013, a business idea he came up with while being held in the Nagano police station in 1998.

It was then that Rebagliati decided to bring cannabis out of the shadows. "I am going to fight for this plant for the rest of my life, start a cannabis company and show everybody what cannabis is really all about," he said of his idea that led to a career in cannabis.

Ten years later, on Feb. 8, Ross' Gold products ended up on shelves in other licensed dispensaries.

"It was totally unplanned but … we finally got our first product to market, in stores for sale on Feb. 8, and that happens to be the exact day that I won my medal in Nagano 25 years ago," he said. "So it was a pretty surreal moment for me to walk into the store that day and see my product finally for sale."

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Photo: Courtesy of Paddysmyth on Wikimedia Commons