Olympic medalist Ross Rebagliati becomes marijuana entrepreneur

[RainDog]

Marijuana gave Olympic medalist snowboarder Ross Rebagliati a measure of notoriety. Now the budding Canadian entrepreneur is betting the same drug will give him a shot at redemption.

Mr. Rebagliati, who briefly lost his snowboarding gold at the 1998 Winter Games in Japan after testing positive for marijuana, is building up a weed “branding and licensing” company he hopes will rise on a wave of demand for legal pot investments.

Mr. Rebagliati is tapping into a surge in interest in medical marijuana, which spiked in April when the Canadian government moved to commercialize production. That’s sparked a “dot-bong” boom, or “green rush,” reminiscent of the late ’90s dot-com era or the gold rush in the Klondike a century earlier.

“It’s gone from non-existent in the legitimate market to one that could be potentially worth several billion dollars in a span of 12 to 24 months,” said Khurram Malik, the Toronto-based co-head of research at Jacob Securities Inc., which is seeking business from weed companies looking to go public.

http://business.financialpost.com/2014/07/11/olympic-medalist-snowboarder-ross-rebagliati-taps-into-surge-in-medical-marijuana/?__lsa=5511-693f

Meanwhile, Congress dawdles, picks the dirt under its fingernails, and wonders why Americans think they're useless. Even former Cabinet Members of the Canadian government are starting businesses as commercial growers.

America is the laughingstock of the world on this issue - well, Putin probably thinks the drug warriors are the cool kids... but he would.

[msongs]

1. another fine example of why taxpyer money should not be spent on olympics - athletes cashing in...

"Looking back, Mr. Rebagliati contends the doping controversy cost him potentially lucrative corporate sponsorships. “I was waiting for a long time to use, or to play, the hand that was dealt to me in Nagano,” he said."

lucrative corporate sponsorships indeed. Is that phrase in the olympics charter?

[RainDog]

2. The Olympics are a commercial sporting event

like any other.

he's just using the what was a negative and turning it into a positive.

Should taxpayer dollars go to support building huge football stadiums where people drink beer?

Professional athletes make money off their names all the time.

It's capitalism, baby. Here, have a cigar.