It is happening for the first time in the history of the Super Bowl. Along with the high excitement of the Super Bowl, marijuana enthusiasts can have their own high at the time because located at hardly two miles distance from Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium will be a cannabis dispensary, where users of recreational cannabis can get cannabis products legally.
Customers will have a wide variety to choose from, like edibles, drinks, candy, pre-rolled joints, and other products, all infused with cannabis, and many even in the colors of the competing teams Rams and Bengals.
Once the sale of recreational cannabis became legal in California after people approved it through the ballot in 2016, the state in general and Los Angeles especially have turned out to be booming markets for recreational cannabis. Of the almost 200 dispensaries within the County of Los Angeles, two are near the Super Bowl Stadium.
Also Read: With Over $2.2 Billion Worth of Sales, Colorado Smashes Its Own Marijuana Sales Record of Last Year
All cannabis enthusiasts are excited about the change. The American rapper Snoop Dogg, a weed enthusiast, is scheduled to perform at the Super Bowl. Ricky Williams, who played many seasons in the NFL and is the winner of Heisman Trophy in 1998, has relaunched his cannabis brand Highsman, and his business partner has a brand named Sticky Ricky.
Marshawn Lynch, another former NFL player has appeared in an online ad promoting a Los Angeles dispensary named Gorilla RX.
The @Bengals won the AFC Championship and 86-year-old James "Cincy Grandpa" Lipscomb couldn't hold back tears.
So T. J. Houshmandzadeh made sure he didn't miss #SBLVI.
This week, James and TJ met for the first time. ❤️ pic.twitter.com/0YM0FUM1p0
— NFL (@NFL) February 13, 2022
So much is the enthusiasm about the legalization of recreational cannabis that Super Bowl 56 is being referred to the ‘The Bud Bowl’. Recreational cannabis contains THC that gives the users the high, unlike CBD that was mainly for medicinal purposes.
The NFL is, however, treading cautiously. It has been confirmed that marijuana is a restricted product for NFL, meaning it would neither be advertised nor sold in connection with the game. Cannabis business owners are nevertheless excited that the industry is being discussed, as expressed by Marie St. Fleur, who is a leading player in the field of cannabis business.
After the legalization of cannabis, the annual sales revenue from recreational cannabis across the country became $7.4 billion by 2019 and nearly $15 billion by 2021. It is poised to reach $25 billion by 2025.
It was a sea change in the world of the NFL when players were freed from getting tested for marijuana (THC) from April 20 to August 9 of the previous year, which made them free to use cannabis without risking suspension for the period.
Later, by February, the NFL promised $1 million for research on the role played by cannabinoids in reducing pain and providing neuroprotection for players. Ricky Williams was full of praise for NFL’s research promotion activities and said he was significantly helped by cannabis in reducing depression and anxiety.
He said that though the amount was not high, it was gratifying that NFL was taking a new direction in its drug policy. He had to undergo suspension five times during his career for substance abuse, and though he did not appear to be resentful about it and the money he lost in the process, he did appear to feel that some of the drug policies of the NFL were racist.
Leigh William Steinberg, with his long career as a legal representative for sports figures, had also many cannabis businessmen on the guestlist for his Super Bowl bash, along with others like Kelsey Grammer and Adam Sandler.
Also Read: Five Years After Legalization, Massachusetts Could See Cannabis Cafes Open Up
Tim Dodd, the owner of Sweet Flower, a Los Angeles cannabis dispensary, wanted to attend the party and take three other cannabis brand representatives with him. Todd was happy about the destigmatization of cannabis involved in the whole process.
However, the party is proposed to be held in Culver City’s Sony Picture Studios, whose representatives do not want cannabis products at the venue. As such, Sweet Flower’s gift bags will have to be collected from another nearby venue.
Though Steinberg does believe in the healing powers of cannabis and the help it can render to players, he prefers to agree with Sony’s policy, though he is not against the use of recreational cannabis. At any rate, either sale or consumption of marijuana is not allowed at Inglewood’s SoFi Stadium.
