CannabisFreedomParty

Long-time Advocate and NFL All-Star Ricky Williams Joins the Cannabis Freedom Party

admin — Wed, 06 Mar 2024 06:56:34 +0000

In a significant development for cannabis policy advocacy and political representation, the Cannabis Freedom Party is proud to announce that former NFL star and prolific cannabis advocate Ricky Williams has officially joined the party. Williams, an outspoken advocate for cannabis reform and holistic health, brings a wealth of experience, passion, and public attention to the party’s mission of promoting cannabis freedom, restorative justice, and natural wellness.

Ricky Williams’s journey from professional sports to cannabis advocacy is marked by his personal experiences with the therapeutic benefits of cannabis, which he credits for helping him manage pain and stress throughout and after his NFL career. Williams’s involvement in the Cannabis Freedom Party signifies a merging of personal conviction with political action, aiming to effect meaningful change in cannabis.

As a member of the Cannabis Freedom Party, Williams will focus on several key initiatives, including:

Advocating for Federal Cannabis Normalization: Championing policies the provide safe, consistent, and affordable access for American consumers.

Supporting Medical Cannabis Research: Encouraging and funding research into the medicinal properties of cannabis to further integrate its benefits into public health, medical treatments, and wellness practices.

Promoting Restorative Justice: Working towards rectifying the injustices caused by the War on Drugs, particularly in communities of color and disabled veterans through comprehensive policy reform, cannabis infraction expungement and community support programs.

Educating the Public: Leveraging his platform to raise awareness about the benefits of responsible cannabis use and the importance of holistic health, aiming to shift public perception and promote informed dialogue.

“Joining the Cannabis Freedom Party is a natural step in my journey, not only as a cannabis advocate but as someone who believes deeply in the healing power of plants and the need for restorative justice measures in our country,” said Williams. “I’m excited to work with the party to bring about the changes we so desperately need, making cannabis safely accessible and removing the stigma for the betterment of society.”

The Cannabis Freedom Party believes that Ricky Williams’s involvement will bring invaluable insight and momentum to both the movement and the cause of cannabis freedom. His dedication to wellness, justice, and advocacy aligns with the core values of the party, promising a future where cannabis is recognized for its potential to heal, uplift, and unite. Please visit www.cannabisfreedomparty.com and make your contribution today to support this truly consequential legislative campaign.

For more information about the Cannabis Freedom Party and its initiatives, please visit www.cannabisfreedomparty.com.

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Contact: email: info@cannabisfreedomparty.com

SOURCE Cannabis Freedom Party

The Cannabis Freedom Party Urges Biden Administration to Stop Lying to the American People

admin — Tue, 20 Feb 2024 18:01:31 +0000

VP Harris Campaign Video Touts Non-Existent Federal Cannabis Policy Reform

LAS VEGAS, Feb. 20, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The Cannabis Freedom Party (CFP), the leading political action committee dedicated to cannabis reform, expressed profound disappointment in Vice President Kamala Harris’ recent campaign video touting the administration’s alleged cannabis policy reform at the federal level. On Feb. 9^th, her office released a video on the social media platform X stating “we changed federal marijuana policy because nobody should have to go to jail for smoking weed.” The administration’s claims can only be classified as a blatant and staggering falsehood.

“I take no pleasure in saying that the administration is willfully lying to the American public, but that’s exactly what they are doing when they stand up and proclaim they are keeping people from going to jail because of marijuana,” said CFP co-founder Jim Mcmahon. “Yes, in October of 2022, President Biden issued a general pardon for federal offenders with simple possession, but let’s be clear, that pardon and his subsequent pardons let no one out of prison and is not criminal justice reform to keep people from going to jail.”

Despite recent statements that suggested a strong stance in favor of decriminalizing marijuana, the Biden Administrations actions have not matched their rhetoric, leaving millions of Americans to continue facing the consequences of outdated and unjust cannabis laws.

“We call on President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris to live up to their administration’s promises and work with Congress to actually implement comprehensive cannabis policy reform. The time for action is now. Every day of inaction results in more arrests, more lives disrupted, and more opportunities missed in creating a fair and accessible cannabis industry,” said CFP co-founder Kyle Turley.

The CFP urges the Biden Administration to prioritize cannabis reform by supporting legislative efforts aimed at rescheduling marijuana at the federal level, going well beyond the handful of expungements of past cannabis convictions, and ensuring that the emerging legal cannabis industry promotes multi-lateral opportunities for those most harmed by cannabis prohibition.

“You can’t claim to have won the game when you’ve never taken the field,” Turley added.

About Cannabis Freedom Party:

The CFP mobilizes communities for voter outreach, advocates tirelessly for cannabis normalization, and upholds the principles of personal choice. At the Cannabis Freedom Party, our passion fuels a movement for change, inviting everyone to join us in breaking down stigmas and championing the rights to wellness and freedom. Stand with us, contribute to our cause, at www.cannabisfreedomparty.com and together, let’s create a future where the value of cannabis and the power of choice are recognized and celebrated.

Media Contact: info@cannabisfreedomparty.com

SOURCE Cannabis Freedom Party

Gridiron ganja and the Cannabis Freedom Party, Cannabis Innovation Lab public events and more…

admin — Wed, 07 Feb 2024 18:00:10 +0000

Jim McMahon and Kyle Turley seek to hit legislative paydirt with Cannabis Freedom Party

When the punky QB hits the cannabis advocacy field he has many plans.

This week in Las Vegas National Football League legend Jim McMahon is embracing a tongue-in-cheek presidential campaign alongside fellow wounded warrior / cannabis brand icon Kyle Turley on behalf of the Cannabis Freedom Party (CFP).

Former Cresco Labs executive and longtime commercial cannabis industry veteran Jason Nelson is serving as the executive director of what he calls “a first of its kind political platform.”

In the following interview, Nelson goes on to explain why NFL alumni authentically serve as cannabis ambassadors, what it will take for cannabis to be advertised in future Super Bowls and how CFP is driving down the field in 2024.

Grown In: Tell us about The Cannabis Freedom Party and what you will be showcasing during Super Bowl weekend?

Jason Nelson: The Cannabis Freedom Party (CFP) is a ‘first of its kind’ political platform focused on persuading state and local leadership towards a pro-cannabis political agenda. The CFP, led by well-respected NFL legends, will work across all political parties to enact long overdue legislation which allows safe, affordable and consistent access to cannabis across the United States.

Grown In: Why do former NFL players, apart from other professional athletes, make for great purveyors of cannabis products?

Jason Nelson: While all athletes have exposure to risk of personal injuries related to their sports careers, professional football players have been excessively exposed to the dangers of treating severe sports injuries with prolonged opioid use. That reality coupled with the increased risk of brain injury under repeated high-speed collisions positions NFL players as some of the most passionate and deserving cannabis advocates.

Read and watch Grown In’s fall interview with Jim McMahon here.

Grown In: When do you think the networks carrying the Super Bowl will ultimately allow for cannabis product and/or issue-related advertising?

Jason Nelson: Great question. Cannabis firms have been trying for years to cross that restrictive barrier. Perhaps rescheduling and SAFER banking progress will allow the venue to support responsible cannabis advertisers in the future.

Grown In: What’s your favorite Super Bowl munchie?

Jason Nelson: As a child of the 80’s ‘New Generation’, Pepsi did an amazing job locking in Nacho Cheese Doritos as my go-to gameday splurge.

Grown In: How can industry professionals best get involved with the Cannabis Freedom Party?

Jason Nelson: Stay tuned to our CFP Kickoff festivities all this week in Las Vegas. We are so excited to be teeing up this truly consequential advocacy platform as we begin working through the 2024 election cycle.

Jim McMahon And Kyle Turley Discuss NFL Pot Policy And Golf Classic

admin — Wed, 31 Jan 2024 18:02:59 +0000

NFL two-time Super Bowl Champion and Revenant co-founder Jim McMahon.

PHOTO BY CARL SCHULTZ WITH SCHULTZ DIGITAL.

As the NFL’s biggest weekend approaches and all eyes are on the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers, several football legends are uniting to send a message to the NFL: It’s time to change the drug testing policy to allow for medical cannabis—a plant with proven benefits.

Jim McMahon, Kyle Turley, and Eben Britton, co-founders of cannabis brand Revenant, announced the Gridiron Greats Celebrity Golf Classic ahead of Super Bowl weekend on Friday, February 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Proceeds will benefit The Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund, a national nonprofit with a mission to assist retired NFL players and their families in dire need situations.

The 2024 charity tournament organizers plan to feature former 49ers quarterback Steve Young, as well as Calvin Johnson, Johnny Damon, Jonathan Ogden, Greg Maddux, Ricky Watters, Jake Plummer, Rollie Fingers, Grant Fuhr, Goose Gossage, Vince Coleman, Mark Rypien, and Ricky Williams. Last year’s event in Anthem, Arizona attracted fanfare from local media.

Two-time Super Bowl Champion and BYU Hall of Famer, McMahon, was quarterback in the NFL for 15 seasons, particularly with the Chicago Bears. For McMahon and all players, the injuries they sustain while on the field eventually stack up. Cannabis is one way they can reduce their reliance on pharmaceuticals—and that’s the message McMahon, Turley, and Britton want to send a message to the NFL with this year’s golf classic event.

“They need it for physical recovery,” McMahon tells Forbes in a phone call. “There’s no doubt about it. I mean, it’s the only neuroprotectant that has a patent on it. Why can’t they freely use that, rather than things that only mask the pain? That’s all they do. They don’t heal the body, they don’t help the body. They ruin your body, you get addicted to them, and they kill people, whereas cannabis has never killed anybody.”

U.S. patent No. 6,630,507 was granted to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services on Oct. 7, 2003 to the and covering the potential use of non-psychoactive cannabinoids for their antioxidant and neuroprotective benefits to protect the brain from damage or degeneration caused by certain diseases. The federal government’s double standard is part of the reason why the NFL has been slow to fully accept cannabis use among players.

Few from the NFL has been advocating harder than Turley when it comes to the benefits cannabis can have on brain injuries. He’s personally had to deal with early-onset Alzheimer’s, symptomatic chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), seizures, and vertigo, likely due to his run in the NFL.

DETROIT – Kyle Turley sits on a panel as a witness at a U.S. House Judiciary field hearing in 2010 …

“There is one reason the NFL must implement cannabis and stop testing players for it and start implementing it at the highest levels: Because there’s only one patented neuroprotectant in the world that exists. I discovered this about 10 years ago,” Turley says. “As I had my own experience, and went to learn everything I could about this plant: What it was doing, Why this was happening to me? How could I possibly stop taking three psych meds? How can I possibly get off 12 different painkillers—muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories—that were daily use?”

Turley explained that at one point, he was addicted to about 12-15 pills, prescribed by doctors, but cannabis helped him get off every one of those when it comes to dealing with pain or inflammation. About four or five years ago, Turley was diagnosed with stage two progressive dementia—a key reason he’s staying on cannabis.

“So from my personal experience, everything that I’ve learned [in] research has been kept from the public about cannabis as a neuroprotectant and the potential that it has, that has been shown in studies to stop the progression of Alzheimer’s disease,” Turley says. For him, it was a lived experience.

In a 2018 study published in Frontiers in Neuroscience, researchers noted that anecdotally, the combination of THC and CBD was “extremely helpful in treatment of CTE symptoms.”

Players are consuming it regardless of NFL rules, and stars like the Kansas City Chiefs’ Travis Kelce, as well as others like Martellus Bennett, estimate that up to 80% of the NFL partakes of pot, agreeing with estimates given by former players like Ricky Williams.

“We have an endogenous cannabinoid system, which is the number one regulatory system in our bodies,” Turley says. “We should have never been prescribed any of these deadly pharmaceuticals in the first place.” Turley went on to explain how he tirelessly campaigned for medical pot, going in front of an NFL medical board several years ago, presenting a PowerPoint on the reasons why players need medical cannabis.

Cannabis and NFL Drug Testing Policy

Given that football players are prone to physical trauma to their bodies and brain, the potential neuroprotective elements of cannabis seem like a no-brainer. If anybody needs cannabis, it’s contact sports players like the ones in the NFL.

There’s a clear trend in major sports leagues: In early 2020, Major League Baseball (MLB) clarified the league’s cannabis policies in a memo, confirming that players can use cannabis products off-hours, but are not allowed to partner with or sponsor cannabis companies. NBA players will no longer be prohibited for consuming cannabis under a recent seven-year Collective Bargaining Agreement signed last June.

Now it’s time for the NFL to implement real change, not just reducing penalties for players that test positive for pot. Given that football players are prone to physical trauma to their bodies and brain, those protective aspects seem like a no-brainer.

“It’s the same message: to stop testing, allow these guys to use something that’s actually going to help their bodies and help them recover,” McMahon says, adding that pain medications can create all sorts of problems to the kidneys and the body.

“We all have a cannabinoid system. We’re supposed to be using this plant,” McMahon said, adding that pharmaceutical opioids stray further from nature, adding that pills like Vicodin or Percocet are alien to our bodies and potentially dangerous.

“I’ve taken one pharmaceutical in 10 years, and I only use cannabis since I discovered what it was—that worked for me and advanced that into the depth and the highest levels possible and how to apply this during the processes. I don’t have to take painkillers for anymore, and to run again,” Turley says. “All my back pain issues went away because of Rick Simpson Oil—all of these high concentrate THC things that these government agencies are trying to limit and control right now.”

Revenant and Redemption

Turley, Britton, and McMahon are all co-founders of Revenant, a cannabis brand, born from a mutual respect and understanding of the plant’s healing properties, and fueled by their desire to share it with the world.

Revenant Cannabis co-founder Jim McMahon represents his cannabis line.

PHOTO BY CARL SCHULTZ WITH SCHULTZ DIGITAL.

Revenant features strains like Gridiron OG, a sativa-dominant variety with a ChemDawg heritage, or the signature brand MAC 9 with strains like Cardinal Crush or Cougar Blue. Both are rich in the terpenes like humulene, caryophyllene, δ-limonene, and myrcene.

Many of these products come in the forms of flower, pre-rolls, vape pens, and more, and they’re available in several state markets.

“We’re in California, Arizona, Nevada, Illinois, Missouri, Michigan. I believe there were seven that we’re doing right now, and I know we’re talking to some others,” McMahon says. “But that’s our that’s our goal is to get into all the legal states by the end of this year, and take it from there.”

Athletes of all calibers are turning to CBD and/or THC-CBD combinations to aid in the recovery process, particularly for the plant’s neuroprotective benefits which are still being explored. To learn more about Revenant’s upcoming Gridiron Greats Celebrity Golf Classic in Las Vegas, click here.