Outspoken medical marijuana advocate and retired NFL star Eugene Monroe has just joined a Chicago-based legal weed grower.
Green Thumb Industries (GTI), a fast growing medical marijuana grower in Illinois, announced Tuesday that Monroe has joined the company as a partner. Monroe was also named the co-CEO of the company’s Pennsylvania operation alongside Andy Grossman, GTI said.
Monroe, 29, was cut by the Baltimore Ravens in June and retired from football in July. While he was playing, he was the first active NFL player to openly advocate for medical marijuana use to treat player pain and sports-related injuries. Upon retiring, Monroe wrote in an essay on the Player's Tribune that he plans to "continue to be a vocal advocate for medical marijuana research, particularly as it relates to CTE."
Monroe has also stated that he believes his views on medical marijuana--that it should be removed from the NFL's banned substances list--was a contributing factor for his release from the Ravens. Monroe, who was previously an investor in GTI, said in a statement that he's excited to take on a larger role with the company.
“The misuse and overprescription of opioids is a problem plaguing not only the NFL, but also tens of thousands of people across the United States," Monroe said in a statement. "I look forward to bringing medical cannabis to patients in need and educating the public on how these medications can be used as safe, reliable and non-addictive alternatives to prescription opioids."
GTI owns two marijuana cultivation centers and two retail locations in Illinois. The company also has a license to operate in Nevada and Massachusetts, and is expanding. The company has raised in excess of $10 million, and it has hired bigwigs like former Illinois House majority leader Mike McClain as an advisor and former Chicago cop Terry Gainer as its security director, according to Crain's.
Image via GTI
