Williams says stigma of his marijuana use ‘kept haunting me’

Former Miami Dolphins running back Ricky Williams recalls how people distanced themselves from him because of his cannabis use.

“My past kept haunting me. People didn’t want to associate me because of my past with cannabis,” he said about finding work and meaningful business partnerships because of his marijuana advocacy. Williams made those comments while discussing marijuana this week on “The Roll Up” podcast on the Leafly cannabis resource website.

In the 20-minute interview, Williams, who now lives in Venice Beach, Calif., talked about how he experimented with smoking marijuana in high school in San Diego and college and how cannabis helped him deal with injuries and social anxiety as a football player for the

New Orleans Saints and then the Dolphins.

“It turned into a bit of a ritual for me, turned into something that I would do after workout and after practice to relax,” he said of his time with the Dolphins. “One of the positive side-effects is I started to be more self-reflective and really started to understand myself more.”

He added, “It brought me to the realization that, you know, I’m really good at football, but this really isn’t my path, this isn’t my destiny. There’s something more I’m supposed to do here.”

He has followed that calling by launching his own cannabis line called Real Wellness by Ricky Williams which includes products sold as salves, vape cartridges and tonics that contain “hemp-derived cannabidiol (CBD), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) or a mix of both.”

During an interview with the Sun Sentinel in March for his brand’s launch, he said it was a dream come true for him to combine his interest in healing and plant medicines into a company.

“I am known as a professional football player,” Williams said at the time. “In the last 14 years, I have been educating myself and training as a health care practitioner.”

His company sells the products in dispensaries in San Diego, the Orange County area and Los Angeles and now online.

Prices range from $35-$70, depending on the product.

JEFFREY PHELPS/AP Since retiring from the NFL, Ricky Williams is a medical marijuana advocate and has his own line called Real Wellness by Ricky Williams.