18 of the Biggest Cannabis Advocates in Pro Sports

Riley Cote

Former NHL player Riley Cote turned to medical marijuana to find relief from the years of bruising as an enforcer for the Philadelphia Flyers. He also says cannabis helps his sister manage her multiple sclerosis. No wonder, then, that Cote has become an active cannabis activist, launching the Hemp Heals Foundation to spread the word about the beneficial properties of hemp, a non-psychoactive version of cannabis.

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Bill Walton

Thanks to his sometimes shaggy appearance during his storied NBA career in the 1970s and ’80s, plus his love of all things Grateful Dead, lots of folks speculate that Bill Walton enjoys consuming cannabis. Walton has kept mum on the matter, but while working as a commentator for an NCAA basketball game in January, Walton wasn’t shy about airing his opinions about legalized marijuana. “This whole war on drugs has been an absolute failure across the board,” he said. “Somebody’s got to step forward, and we’re looking for Obama to step up and say, ‘Why are we punishing people for things that are legal? Why are people languishing in jail for things that are legal?’ ” Jerry would be proud.

Jay Williams

Walton and Robinson aren’t the only former NBA superstar opening up about marijuana. In March, Jay Williams, former Chicago Bulls point guard, told FoxBusiness.com that he thinks 75 to 80 percent of NBA players use cannabis, drug tests be damned. And according to Williams, it’s time for the NBA to get with the program. “It’s easy for doctors to prescribe you Oxycontin, and look, I was addicted to it for five-plus years, so I know,” he said. “But when you say 'marijuana,' you get a reaction: ‘Ahhh, it’s a gateway drug.’ It’s something that the whole world is becoming more progressive with. So it’s about time some of these entities do as well.”

Rob Van Dam

Pro wrestling might be fake, but the training required to be a king in the ring certainly isn’t. Longtime ECW and WWE superstar Rob Van Dam credits marijuana with being a key part of his athletic prep work. “If I want to relax and just chill out, consuming cannabis can help with that,” he told the Washington Post earlier this year. “If I want to be active, if I’m going to go work out or have a match, then it can help with that, too.” Van Dam, who was briefly suspended from the WWE because of a 2006 marijuana arrest, also said cannabis helped him keep the right frame of mind for his matches: “In front of millions of people that paid to see you at your best, who expect you to be in action-figure shape and condition on that particular night for that moment, you’ve got to deliver.”

The Green Team: 18 of the Biggest Cannabis Advocates in Sports

Riley Cote

Bill Walton

Jay Williams

Rob Van Dam

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