Al Harrington, ex-NBA star and founder/CEO of Viola Brands, a company that assists minorities with entering into the marijuana business, is devoting his time to changing the justice system as it pertains to drug arrests. According to ACLU data, black people are 3.64 times more likely than white people to be arrested for marijuana possession despite nearly identical usage rates. This is something that the 16-year NBA veteran is seeking to modify.
In his interview with For the Win, Harrington opened up about his social justice efforts.
“We’re really focused on trying to bring home these people who are sitting in jail, still, for marijuana possession. Obviously, there are people now who’ve made millions and almost billions of dollars from it, and, you know, there are still people locked up. And after these people have served their time, they have no opportunities because they have to work around with this blemish on their record where it doesn’t allow them to apply for jobs.”
Harrington also pointed out that the way law enforcement handles marijuana in wealthy California neighborhoods versus neighborhoods with a large minority population differs drastically and needs to be addressed.
“And we have to honestly do a better job of holding police accountable for the way they police cannabis. Because I can tell you, for sure, that the way they police cannabis in Beverly Hills compared to where they do it in Compton is totally different. So, there’s a lot of things to peel back in regards to reform in general.”
Harrington believes that marijuana policy change is essential to police reform as a whole and that athletes and celebrities should be using their voices to ensure that reform is made for those who are unfairly being detained in lengthy jail sentences over marijuana offenses.
“I think that’s very important. It’s so important, right? Because, when you think about back in the day, there was a time where activists were probably more popular than athletes. Folks like Martin Luther King, Jr., their work was so strong and so prevalent. But now I think that’s flipped a lot. A lot of our advocates don’t have the same platform. But the people that do are the celebrities, the athletes. That’s why it’s so important that they must use their voice on these issues .. .It’s all about sacrifice, right? As athletes, we’re blessed to make millions of dollars because someone sacrificed their life for this opportunity. So it’s very important for athletes to step up.”
The 40-year-old feels that the world of sports is also warming up slowly to marijuana usage, as it is not penalizing players as strongly as it once did.
“The MLB is no longer testing. The NFL is still testing with no penalty, which is kind of weird. The NBA is kind of the last to the party, but they’re going to not test for cannabis in the bubble with the mental ride that they’re about to go through. Change is happening slowly, but surely.”
The former Pacer is partnering with the Marijuana Policy Project to host the “Reimagining Justice” event on July 15th, where the panel will speak about race, the marijuana business, and the bias that blacks face who are embarking on the legal marijuana journey.
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