Orange native and former NBA player Al Harrington is currently on a different court. He’s the owner of a recently opened cannabis dispensary in Hoboken.
Harrington played for the New York Knicks, Indiana Pacers, Atlanta Hawks, Golden State Warriors, Denver Nuggets, Orlando Magic, and Washington Wizards from 1998 to 2014.
He was one of the nation’s top high school athletes while starring at St. Patrick’s High School in Elizabeth.
Harrington became a huge voice in the cannabis world when he began advocating for the right of athletes to use cannabis, and he left a lasting mark as one of the few cannabis executives of color in the country.
He himself had used it to manage pain from a series of painful surgeries, citing cannabis as a better alternative to opioids.
Harrington’s Viola brand is named in honor of his grandmother, who suffered from glaucoma and recovered with cannabis.
“All of our products are always Grandma-approved,” Harrington says. “This is very important, because for me, I would never give something out to the world that I wouldn't give to my grandmother.”
Selling grandma-approved cannabis meant Harrington needed a permit from Hoboken. Each municipality in New Jersey can create its own cannabis approval process in addition to the individual state licensing process.
“This has been a three-year process for us,” Harrington said of opening the new store. “It took a lot of time to work through all the red tape. Hoboken in particular was very particular about who they wanted to work with and who they wanted to hang out with."
Harrington’s path to opening took him through multiple cannabis hearings that lasted into the evening and into the morning.
1998 T of C Final St. Patrick vs. Seton Hall’s Al Harrington Prep.NJ.com File Photo
“We took the time to answer those questions and give them lots of examples where they could feel comfortable going through it all,” Harrington said. “It’s definitely been a journey. I’m so excited to be opening in the state I grew up in.”
Harrington also plans to do some community service that speaks to his athletic prowess.
“We’re going to be sponsoring sporting events. We’re looking at brand battles – we’ve done coat drives, we’ve had food giveaways, we’ve even renovated the park,” he said. Ta. “I try to stay true to that spirit and be a brand that is connected to sport and job creation, and try to hire as much as possible from within that community.”
Harrington’s store will also sell merchandise and clothing.
“You have to make something that people like,” he said. “Everything we drop has been quite successful because it’s in limited quantities. We hope that all of our merchandise will be considered special value items in 20 years’ time.” Masu.”
When the league allowed NBA players to smoke the plant, Harrington was thrilled. He also feels his pharmacy is contributing to the legacy of what he personally believed in, even if the league didn’t support it.
“I was also thinking about all the players in the past who missed out on playing in the NBA because of positive drug tests or who lost a lot of money because of fines and suspensions,” he said.
At the end of the day, Harrington believes his products bring others together.
“It’s not a dead end,” he said. “It’s very diverse, it’s very inclusive, and that’s what we want to do. Through every product we offer, we aim to be products that foster community and bring people together. .”
Contact Jelani Gibson at jgibson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @jelanigibson1 And also on LinkedIn.
