Thursday: Cliff Robinson To Debut Uncle Cliffy Pre-Rolls At Oregon’s Finest
Clifford Robinson was drafted by the Portland Trail Blazers in 1989 and went on to play for the Blazers for 8 seasons, helping lead the team to two NBA Finals appearances (1990 and 1992). During his time with the Trail Blazers, Cliff was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year (1993), and selected to the NBA All-Star team (1994). Cliff would go on to play for four other NBA teams during a career that spanned 18 years, but he has always loved the State of Oregon and is a proud resident of Portland.
Having experienced the stigma and persecution that comes with cannabis prohibition firsthand, both on the court and off the court, Cliff Robinson is on a mission to free the plant. That is why he submitted written testimony in support of cannabis reform legislation in Oregon, and has also publicly endorsed a cannabis legalization proposal in Connecticut. Cliff plans on working with other reform efforts across the country and leading the effort to end cannabis prohibition in professional sports leagues. Cannabis prohibition does not work, and it’s time for society and sports leagues to take a more sensible approach.
Cliff Robinson is launching his line of Uncle Cliffy cannabis products on Thursday June 8th at Oregon’s Finest, located at 736 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232. An appearance by Cliff Robinson is planned for 4:20 p.m. at the dispensary, which will be debuting two Uncle Cliffy pre-rolls – GG4 for relaxation (indica) and J1 for performance (sativa). Uncle Cliffy pre-rolls are filled with only the best craft cannabis, produced by Pistil Point Farms, which is located in Portland, Oregon.
People that come down to the dispensary will be able to enter to win one of two basketballs autographed by Uncle Cliffy himself. In addition to Thursday’s launch at Oregon’s Finest location on Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Uncle Cliffy pre-rolls will also be available at Oregon’s Finest’s other Portland location (1327 NW Kearney St). Both stores will have autographed basketballs with contest entry information on-site. Uncle Cliffy pre-rolls will also be available at Medication Station on the Oregon Coast and Talent Health Club in Talent, Oregon starting this weekend.
Cliff Robinson is going to lead by example and fight to end the stigma and take the handcuffs off the plant. The Uncle Cliffy sports cannabis company believes that all members of the cannabis space have a duty to represent the industry responsibly, and plans to be a good steward of the plant.
What: Cliff Robinson To Appear at Oregon’s Finest cannabis dispensary
When: 4:20 p.m.
Where: 736 NE Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Portland, OR 97232
About Uncle Cliffy:
The Uncle Cliffy sports cannabis company was created to end the stigma surrounding cannabis and sports, and to be a voice for athletes that choose to consume cannabis. Uncle Cliffy also fights cannabis prohibition in society because prohibition has failed and has had a disproportionate impact on minority communities.
About Pistil Point Farms:
Pistil Point Cannabis operates one of the largest cannabis production brands in the world with indoor and outdoor production farms throughout Oregon and California. The company also serves as an active consultancy for cannabis projects in Michigan, Massachusetts, Ohio, and New York.
About Oregon’s Finest:
Oregon’s Finest is a local grower-owned and operated recreational cannabis dispensary located in the heart of Portland, Oregon. The company was born in 2012 when noteworthy medical growers came together to feature the finest cannabis Oregon has to offer. Oregon’s Finest prides itself on delivering award-winning, small-batch, craft cannabis directly from farm-to-flame.
Poll Results Show That It’s Time To End Cannabis Prohibition In Pro Sports
National Football League (NFL) Commissioner Roger Goodell made comments on Friday indicating that he continues to support keeping cannabis prohibited in the NFL. His comments included the claim that cannabis has ‘no medical benefits.’ Push back on the comments from cannabis supporters inside and outside of the NFL was swift. A number of media outlets reported Goodell’s comments as being ‘dangerous,’ ‘draconian,’ and ‘pure reefer madness.’
Roger Goodell’s comments put him square in the minority of Americans that believe that cannabis prohibition works. To prove that point, the Uncle Cliffy team has compiled polling results which clearly demonstrate that it’s time to end cannabis prohibition in professional sports.
Fans Respect Athletes That Choose To Make The Safer Choice
Marist College, in conjunction with Yahoo, conducted a poll in which sports fans were asked the following question – ‘Would you have more or less respect for your favorite sports athlete if you learned they used marijuana in their personal life? If it makes no difference please say so.’
A substantial 68% of poll participants expressed that if their favorite sports athlete consumed cannabis that it ‘makes no difference’ to the level of respect that they have for the athlete. An additional 3% stated that they would have more respect. Only 28% of poll respondents stated that they would have less respect for an athlete that consumes cannabis.
NFL Players Overwhelmingly Support Medical Cannabis Reform
ESPN polled NFL players to gauge their level of support for cannabis reform in the NFL. Among other findings, 71% of polled players stated that they feel that medical cannabis should be legal in all 50 states.
The poll did not specifically ask players if they supported medical cannabis legalization in the NFL, but the Uncle Cliffy team feels that it is a safe assumption that support for medical cannabis reform in society transfers over to sports. This is made evident by a recent push by the NFL Player’s Association to make a distinction between recreational and medical use in the NFL.
Legalization for medical purposes would not completely end cannabis prohibition in the NFL, but it would at least end prohibition for players that use cannabis for medical reasons, which the Uncle Cliffy team obviously supports.
Support Has Never Been Greater For Legalization At The National Level
CBS News recently released poll results which showed the highest level of support for cannabis legalization in America that they have ever recorded. A whopping 61% of poll participants stated that they support legalization.
These poll results show a level of support that is dramatically greater than in 1969 when Gallup Polling found that just 12% of Americans supported legalization. The more than 500% surge in support since 1969 is reflective of how much times have changed, and highlight how professional sports leagues that prohibit cannabis have failed to evolve with the dramatic increase in public support.
More Than 3 Out of 4 Sports Media Members Support Legalization In Pro Sports
A poll conducted by The Big Lead looked specifically at the level of support for cannabis reform among sports media members. An astounding 76.5% of poll participants stated that cannabis prohibition should end.
The results of this particular poll are interesting given the fact that sports media members literally have a front row seat to see how prohibition affects pro athletes, both from a health standpoint as well as a social justice standpoint. The huge level of support among sports media members is something that cannot be highlighted enough.
If A Player Can Consume Cannabis Legally In A State Then Leagues Should Allow It
A poll conducted by PRRI found that, “A majority (54%) of the public believe professional athletes should not be prohibited from using marijuana if they live in a state where it is legal.”
As the Uncle Cliffy team has pointed out previously, every Major League Baseball (MLB) team, National Basketball Association (NBA) team, and NFL team are now located in a state that has legalized cannabis in at least CBD-form. The State of Indiana (Pacers and the Colts) was the last remaining state that was a full prohibition state, but a CBD-specific bill was recently signed resulting in zero MLB, NBA, or NFL teams now being located in a 100% prohibition state.
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“The math speaks for itself.” Cliff Robinson said. “Cannabis prohibition provides no benefit to professional sports leagues, and a strong majority of fans, players, and even most members of sports media recognize that fact. It is time that professional sports leagues that prohibit cannabis did the same. These leagues need to get on the right side of history.”
Free the plant!
Uncle Cliffy On Recent Federal Anti-Cannabis Statements
On Thursday, February 23rd White House press secretary Sean Spicer stated that he expects ‘greater enforcement’ of federal cannabis prohibition laws. Mr. Spicer was speaking at a White House press briefing, and indicated that the ‘greater enforcement’ would be directed at states that have voted to legalize cannabis for adult use (Colorado, Washington, Oregon, Alaska, California, Nevada, Maine, and Massachusetts).
Sean Spicer stated the following about opioids and cannabis, “When you see something like the opioid addiction crisis blossoming in so many states around this country, the last thing we should be doing is encouraging people.” Mr. Spicer stated at the time that it would be up to the Department of Justice to decide how to deal with federal cannabis enforcement. The Department of Justice did not comment at the time, but United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions has since made statements about federal cannabis policy.
Jeff Sessions is a longtime cannabis reform opponent, having once supported a bill that would have resulted in some cannabis convictions being punishable by execution. As recently as April 2016 Jeff Sessions had indicated that he didn’t think that cannabis consumers were good people. So it comes as no surprise to see Jeff Sessions make the following statements this past Monday, per Politico:
“Most of you probably know I don’t think America is going to be a better place when more people of all ages and particularly young people start smoking pot,” Sessions said during an exchange with reporters at the Justice Department. “I believe it’s an unhealthy practice and current levels of THC in marijuana are very high compared to what they were a few years ago.”
“We’re seeing real violence around that,” Sessions said. “Experts are telling me there’s more violence around marijuana than one would think and there’s big money involved.”
“I’m definitely not a fan of expanded use of marijuana,” he said. “States they can pass the laws they choose. I would just say it does remain a violation of federal law to distribute marijuana throughout any place in the United States, whether a state legalizes it or not.”
In a speech to state attorney generals today Jeff Sessions also stated the following:
“I’m not sure we’re going to be a better, healthier nation if we have marijuana being sold at every corner grocery store. Marijuana is a cure for opiate abuse? Give me a break. This is the kind of argument that has been made out there. It’s just almost a desperate attempt to defend the harmlessness of marijuana or even its benefits. I doubt that’s true. Maybe science will prove I’m wrong. But at this point in time you and I have a responsibility to use our best judgement, that which we’ve learned over a period of years and speak truth as best we can.”
The opinions expressed by Mr. Spicer and Mr. Sessions are not based upon facts. As NORML points out, “Marijuana legalization has not lead to increased crime or violence, but rather is associated with lowered youth use rates and access, increased tax revenue, and fewer arrests of otherwise law abiding American citizens.” A crackdown by the federal government is not only unwarranted for the reason Sean Spicer expressed (fictitious increased violence), but it would push customers from a regulated market back into an unregulated one which could actually increase the risk of a cannabis consumer being exposed to violent situations.
Cannabis policy needs to be based on science, not political rhetoric. Mr. Sessions’ attempt to tie cannabis legalization to the opioid crisis is not just wrong, it’s harmful. Multiple studies have shown that increased access to cannabis results in less opioid use. A federal crackdown would lead to more people using opioids, which is a scenario that the Trump administration claims to want to avoid. If the Trump administration truly felt that way, the last thing it should want to do is crackdown on legal cannabis states.
On the campaign trail candidate Donald Trump stated that he would leave cannabis policy up to the states. Voters in 8 states have spoken loud and clear that they think that prohibition has failed, and that it’s time for a more sensible approach to cannabis policy. Cannabis legalization is working by every measure in states where it exists, and there is zero upside to ‘greater enforcement’ of federal prohibition. Poll results that were released on the same day as Spicer’s comments (February 23rd) found that 71% of respondents did not want to see federal enforcement of cannabis prohibition in states that have voted to legalize cannabis for adult use. The Uncle Cliffy team hopes that president Trump will stand by his campaign promise to respect states rights, and and allow legal states to proceed without federal intervention.
What Is Uncle Cliffy?
Cliff Robinson created the Uncle Cliffy cannabis company because he knows first hand that cannabis works for athletes.
“I always knew that it worked. Cannabis always helped me with relaxation and recovery throughout my playing career, and still helps me lead an active lifestyle to this day.” Cliff said.
Uncle Cliffy is a company that makes cannabis products for responsible adult use. Whether someone is a weekend warrior, a day in day out power lifter, or somewhere in between, most athletes can benefit from adding cannabis to their wellness and recovery regimens.
The cannabis athlete movement is growing at a rapid pace, led by professional athletes like 18 year NBA veteran Cliff Robinson, who believe that responsible cannabis use can be a part of of an active lifestyle.
Athletes experience a lot of aches and injuries while training and competing. Cannabis provides a combination of wellness benefits and recovery assistance that many athletes need. Cannabis can (and in many cases should) be a part of an adult’s overall wellness strategy.
Cannabis is a much safer alternative to harmful pharmaceutical painkillers, the use of which is widespread among athletes. Cannabis is more effective at assisting with recovery than pharmaceutical painkillers, in addition to being safer.