"I know firsthand the ostracizing and debilitating effects the criminalization of cannabis can have," says Ricky Williams.
NFL Hall of Fame nominee, cannabis entrepreneur and former running back for the Miami Dolphins Ricky Williams has come out in support of Florida's Amendment 3, which will go before voters in the upcoming November elections.
"I know firsthand the ostracizing and debilitating effects the criminalization of cannabis can have," Williams said in a statement, published by Florida Politics.
"I want to pay my experiences forward, end the unjust criminalization and prejudice over cannabis, and bring Florida to the same level of freedom that over half of the country already enjoys,” Williams said. “We can accomplish this by voting ‘Yes' on 3 this November."
Williams, who played for 11 seasons in the NFL, retired from the Miami Dolphins for a year after being suspended for violating the league's substance abuse policy. He returned the following year after paying fines, but issues related to his marijuana dogged him despite his excellent on-field performance, including winning the 1998 Heisman Trophy and breaking several NCAA records.
Williams, along with several other athletes such as Calvin Johnson, Al Harrington and Rob Sims, attended the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference in Chicago in 2022. Check out this year's conference in Chicago on Oct. 7-8.
Smart & Safe Florida spokesperson Morgan Hill called Williams' story "an important case study for why passing Amendment 3 is an important, long-necessitated step forward for Florida."
"No one deserves to have their life changed simply for using marijuana," Hill said, per the outlet. "We are grateful to have his support and look forward to continuing to grow this vast coalition behind legalizing adult-use recreational marijuana for Florida."
Meanwhile, Smart & Safe announced Tuesday that it has a new campaign ad, Hypocrisy of Alcohol vs. Marijuana.
"According to a recent FDA study, alcohol was found to have a higher use disorder rate than marijuana. Additionally, the FDA found that alcohol has among the highest adverse consequences, while marijuana ranks lower," noted Smart & Safe, the group behind the Amendment 3 campaign.
