I went to Portland during the first week of February to speak to Cliff Robinson, an 18-year NBA veteran, about his decision to start Uncle Spliffy. It’s his foray into the recreational marijuana industry. But he’s had a nearly life-long relationship with weed. The story touches on his relationship with marijuana, his regrets, his new company, how to get away with smoking in the NBA and if more athletes will step into this field. Here’s an excerpt:

Others saw him more as a spearhead for the cause than as a celebrity interloper. One former NBA player in attendance, who remains employed by a team and asked for anonymity to speak freely in fear that his job could be effected, called Robinson a “pioneer. He’s a trail blazer.” Other former players, he said, see the marijuana industry as a place to potentially invest down the line. Robinson is the public test-case for that.

“You need somebody to go first,” Andrew Gurevich, the host of the Potcast PDX podcast, said. “I think that he’s not in the league anymore but still has a lot of credibility – especially in the area. People remember him in the area for being on that great Blazer team with Drexler, (Terry) Porter and those guys. I think him being first is going to open the floodgates for people to come out next and at least have the dialogue.”