Retired (for now) undefeated boxer Floyd Mayweather and current UFC women’s bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey have had a war of words ever since “Money” acted like he had never heard of the UFC champ before. “Rowdy” Rousey fired back after she beat out the boxer for best fighter of the year at the most recent ESPY Awards. Since then, there has been some (entertaining) banter between the two undefeated champions, with Floyd falling back on all of the money he makes and Rousey countering with the fact that she finishes fights and doesn’t let bouts go to a decision on the judges’ scorecards.
You can certainly put us here at Marijuana Politics in the Team Rousey camp, but we are happy to see Mayweather agree with Rousey that the five-year suspension levied against UFC Fighter Nick Diaz (who Floyd believably doesn’t seem to have heard of) is ridiculous. Mayweather looks utterly shocked that a fighter could be suspended five years for cannabis, stating, “Let that man smoke weed and enjoy his life!”
Here’s the video of Mayweather’s statement on the Diaz suspension (WARNING: NSFW language):
It is great to see another top fighter ridicule testing athletes for marijuana. With Ronda Rousey and Floyd Mayweather on the same team, opposing ESPN commentator Stephen A. Smith, hopefully the Nevada Athletic Commission’s and other sports governing bodies will come to understand that prohibiting athletes from using cannabis, and pushing them to use more harmful and addictive narcotics, is a policy that needs to be changed immediately.
Anthony Johnson
Anthony, a longtime cannabis law reform advocate, was Chief Petitioner and co-author of Measure 91, Oregon's cannabis legalization effort. He served as director of both the New Approach Oregon and Vote Yes on 91 PACs, the political action committees responsible for the state's legalization campaign. As director of New Approach Oregon, Anthony continues to work towards effectively implementing the cannabis legalization system while protecting small business owners and the rights of patients. He sits on the Oregon Marijuana Rules Advisory Committee and fights for sensible rules at the legislature as well as city councils and county commissions across the state. Anthony helps cannabis business comply with Oregon's laws and advises advocates across the country. He also serves as content director of both the International Cannabis Business Conference and the Oregon Marijuana Business Conference, helping share the vision of moving the cannabis industry forward in a way that maintains the focus on keeping people out of prison and protecting patients. He was a member of the Oregon Health Authority Rules Advisory Committee, assisting the drafting of the administrative rules governing Oregon’s state-licensed medical marijuana facilities. He first co-authored and helped pass successful marijuana law reform measures while a law student at the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law. He passed the Oregon Bar in 2005 and practiced criminal defense for two years before transitioning to working full-time in the political advocacy realm. His blogs on Marijuana Politics are personal in nature and don't speak for or reflect the opinions of any group or organization.
