Former Detroit Lion Calvin Johnson Approved for Medical Cannabis Business in Michigan

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]F[/dropcap]ormer Detroit Lions star receiver Calvin Johnson was approved for pre-qualification for a license to open a medical cannabis provisioning center in Michigan. Pre-qualification status is given when a person applying for a license passes a background check, but doesn’t have community approval as to where the business will be located.

Johnson and former teammate and business partner Robert Sims were initially denied licenses in December for a medical cannabis provisioning center, grow operation and processing facility, due in part to unpaid traffic tickets in Atlanta, Georgia on Johnson’s record that are more than 10 years old. After learning of the issues, Johnson flew from Detroit to Atlanta to take care of the unpaid tickets, which was enough to receive approval for a medical cannabis dispensary under the name Michigan Community Collective.

According to his attorney, Johnson plans to open a chain of provisioning centers under the brand name “Primitive.” Michigan recently shut down more than 70 provisioning centers due to the deadline issued by lawmakers for all businesses to obtain  a state license.

Donald Bailey, member of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Licensing Board voted against Johnson’s applications in December, but approved his second attempt at obtaining a license. “Information contained in the new application explained some of the issues that were presented in the December applications,” Bailey said. “We didn’t have that information then, but it got taken care of.”

Johnson joins a long list of former NFL players joining the burgeoning cannabis industry. Former NFL running back Ricky Williams launched a cannabis wellness brand in 2018. Williams, along with former NFL quarterback Jim McMahon, have teamed up to promote the Gridiron Cannabis Coalition, which is dedicated to the advancement of cannabis as a therapeutic tool for football players.