From The NFL To Advocacy: Why Cannabis Legislation Can't Wait

by Jim McMahon, Ricky Williams, and Kyle Turley

When we played in the NFL, they told us when drug tests were. Everyday Americans don’t get that option. Despite what President Biden proclaims, individuals are still being locked up for a plant that others are making millions selling. Patients in the greatest country in the free world still don’t have access to or the necessary research for a potentially life saving medicine. While we may have enjoyed privileged access to information and resources during our careers, the vast majority of Americans remain in a system that restricts their rights and access to a plant that has proven benefits.

We dedicated our careers to the love of the game and our fans, often at great physical and mental cost. Our experiences have led many of us to use cannabis for healing. Recognizing the need for safe, effective therapeutic options for everyone, we are committed to breaking the stigma around cannabis, advocating for fair legislation, and ensuring access to this vital plant for all who need it. 

According to Marijuana Policy Project, since legal cannabis sales began in Colorado and Washington state in 2014, the U.S. adult-use cannabis market has generated a combined total of more than $20 billion in tax revenue from legal sales for state budgets. This figure does not include medical cannabis tax revenue, application and licensing fees paid by cannabis businesses, additional income taxes generated by workers in the cannabis industry, or taxes paid to the federal government. It also excludes the hundreds of thousands of dollars in new revenue from adult-use cannabis taxes generated for local municipalities.

Billions of dollars are transacted every year on cannabis, yet because it remains illegal at the federal level any revenue generated from its sales is like kryptonite to banks. Do you know how hard it is for dispensary owners to deposit that revenue into a bank? Or how difficult it is for an owner of a dispensary or even its workers to obtain business (or personal) loans?  Most underwriters will exclude any income derived from cannabis, thereby making it impossible for these owners to obtain operational loans, mortgages, insurance, etc.  These are hardworking, small business owners who rely on lock and key safes to keep their money secure.  This is 2024, not 1824. 

The 118th Congress focused their legislative sights on two cannabis related issues; SAFER Banking, which would allow revenue to be deposited into federally insured banks, and rescheduling, moving cannabis from a DEA schedule 1 drug (heroin and fentanyl) to a schedule 3 drug (Tylenol with codeine). SAFER Banking had a committee hearing and passed out of the committee, only to sit in purgatory as the Congress winds down, not getting a vote on the floor. And the Biden administration attempted to reschedule cannabis by executive action, which is facing opposition in Congress.

Why is Congress so slow to act, when 38 states have some form of cannabis sales in their states?  The cannabis industry spends millions of dollars on lobbyists every year, with not much to show for it. That’s where we come in.

Project Champion is a bipartisan organization made up of former professional athletes focused on advancing tangible cannabis legislation to normalize and destigmatize cannabis, which has numerous general wellness, medical and socio-economic benefits for all Americans.

According to a 2024 Pew Research poll, 88% of Americans believe cannabis should be legal for medical or adult use. Despite this number, lawmakers in D.C. are still reluctant to touch the issue with a 10-foot pole.  We want to change this and that’s why we launched Project Champion. We are dedicated to building out an army of cannabis activists to create champions in the U.S. Senate for the cannabis industry.

We’ve watched the lobbyists try to convince Senators of the merits of legalization, but they are starting too late.  We will meet the candidates on the trail, attend their town halls, and advocate for SAFER Banking and rescheduling at the grassroots level. Consumers need to force change; it’s the only way things happen. Lobbyists in D.C. will only get you so far (you are there, and nothing has changed). We need to send in the cavalry, the voters. 

Who better to rally the voters in their states than the very people they are used to cheering for? It is unacceptable that, in a nation where 9 out of 10 people support legalization, Congress continues to drag its feet. Through Project Champion, we are rallying our fellow athletes, advocates, and every citizen who believes in fairness to amplify our voices and demand legislative action. Join our movement, let’s tell congress it’s time they started acting like they work for us and become our cannabis champions.

Jim McMahon is a former NFL quarterback who played for 15 seasons, winning two Super Bowls with the Chicago Bears and the Green Bay Packers. McMahon uses cannabis to treat the chronic pain and arthritis that he suffers from as a result of his football career.  He has been plagued with a number of injuries and hails medical cannabis as a “godsend” that has saved his life.

Ricky Williams is a former NFL running back who played for 11 seasons, primarily for the New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins. He played college football for the Texas Longhorns, where he was a two-time unanimous All-American and won the 1998 Heisman Trophy. Williams is a long-time medical cannabis advocate and has made it his personal goal to elevate the legitimacy of cannabis as a medicine.

Kyle Turley is a former NFL offensive tackle who played for 9 seasons, where he played with the New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams, and Kansas City Chiefs. Turley uses cannabis to treat the neurological issues that he suffers from post-NFL career. He credits cannabis with greatly improving his quality of life and even saving his life, after previously relying on numerous prescription medications with side effects that he says almost drove him to suicide.