Allen Iverson is looking to make some power moves in the cannabis space.
The NBA legend is reportedly expanding his strain of Iverson ’01 and ’96 cannabis to be distributed in Pennsylvania per the The Philadelphia Inquirer. It comes by way of a partnership with Viola Brands, “the largest Black-owned cannabis brand producing premium products since 2011,” according to its website.
The strain will be sold at RISE medical marijuana dispensaries through out the state of Pennsylvania.
Those who use the strain will feel the effects of “euphoric, balanced body and head high,” along with the taste of flowers, pine, orange, and hops, per Viola. It will reportedly cost $45 an eighth (3.5 grams).
Viola Brands was founded by Al Harrington in 2011 and has reportedly grown to become a power player in the cannabis industry.
Inspired to launch the company after his grandmother suffered for years from glaucoma, Harrington says his goal is to “ensure Black and brown people are afforded the opportunity to be a part of a fast-growing industry that has historically left them disenfranchised.”
Iverson has had a long relationship with marijuana, beginning early in his NBA career as reported by GQ in 2021. But he turned away from using it after being arrested in the mid-nineties once police found the drug in his vehicle while he drove home from a party in Virginia which led to a plea bargain and three years probation.
“So, weed ain’t my [thing] … no more,” Iverson said in the GQ interview. “I’ll stick to the … Dom Pérignon, man.”
Looks like he had a change of heart.