Kevin Durant partners with Weedmaps to destigmatize marijuana among athletes
Written by Redacción Mota Radio on 21 August, 2021
Basketball player Kevin Durant, Brooklyn Net player and one of the NBA’s top players, has been a staunch advocate of marijuana, and this time he partnered with the online cannabis marketplace Weedmaps with the goal of destigmatizing marijuana use among athletes.
“I think it’s time to address the stigmas around cannabis that still exist in the sports world and globally,” Durant told ESPN.
“This partnership will help us continue to normalize those conversations, as well as create content, events, and more through our boardroom media network. This is just the beginning for us,” he said.
The forward also said he is hopeful that some of his basketball teammates will join him in discussing the benefits of marijuana.
On the other hand, Weedmaps CEO Chris Beals told Marijuana Moment that many of today’s attitudes toward cannabis are rooted in outdated beliefs and lies that have endured over time.
“Through this partnership, we will seek to further break down the stigmas that have made cannabis use, particularly among athletes, taboo, while providing broader education about the plant’s many wide-ranging benefits and its potential for overall wellness,” he said.
The new partnership will involve a series of original content that is tentatively scheduled to debut next year. It will also include podcasts, co-branded events, and exclusive merchandise.
There is no doubt that marijuana use among elite athletes continues to be a topic of debate, even though consumption of the plant is still prohibited by the NBA, as reported by ESPN, representatives from the league office and the players’ union assured that there is an ongoing dialogue about marijuana use, however, there are still no concrete plans to change the rules.
It is also worth mentioning that the sports organization opted to stop testing for cannabis last year, a measure that was extended to the 2020-2021 season.
