9 April 17-April 23, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | NEWS | NIGHT+DAY | CULTURE | CAFE | MUSIC | Blowing Smoke “You can’t tell me anything about weed if you don’t smoke it,” Haslem quips. During his two-decade NBA career — all of it spent as a member of his hometown Heat — Haslem was the epitome of hard work and determination on the court. After starring at Miami High and the University of Florida, the undersize (six-foot-six) big man went undrafted. A year playing overseas in France led to a free-agent deal with the Mi- ami Heat. From 2003 until his retirement af- ter the 2023 season, Haslem was a vital presence, earning the monikers OG (“origi- nal gangsta,” for those who aren’t hip to 1990s West Coast rap), Mr. 305, and the ut- terly straightforward U.D. The longest-serv- ing Heat player in franchise history, Haslem can now look up to the rafters at the Kaseya Center and see his No. 40 hanging alongside his fellow Miami greats. It was Haslem’s grit and determination that led Flowery founder and CEO Elad Kohen to propose a partnership with the hardwood legend. It began with a chance meeting in 2017 — a time when the company was battling with the state of Florida to ob- tain its pot-growing license. “When I got out of my car, I had a scent of cologne that they recognized well, and I think we all realized, ‘Hey, we all kinda speak the same language,’” Haslem says now. He and Kohen got to talking, and one of the guys in Kohen’s group mentioned a po- tential opportunity to partner in a cannabis product. They parted with promises to recon- vene when and if the opportunity manifested. “It was a time and space when the world was against us, and then this guy comes, who everybody knows, and he’s a legend in his own right, and he’s known for being the Mi- ami-bred fighter,” Kohen recalls. “He was al- ways my favorite player, because every time somebody would pick on someone from his team, he would be the first one in their face — and I grew up with that mentality.” Haslem figured it would likely come to nothing. But two years later, the call came. He immediately connected with the Flowery, recognizing in the company’s uphill battle to break into Florida’s medical marijuana mar- ket a reflection of his own fight to carve out a place in the NBA. He likens it to finding his “locker room” with just a bit less athleticism and height. “It wasn’t people jumping on the phone trying to sell me on making billions of dol- lars,” Haslem adds. “I was intrigued by the struggle they were going through. That’s when I am at my best when I am able to get in the mud with people and grind things out.” From Court to Cannabis Marijuana had always been a part of Haslem’s Liberty City upbringing and, eventually, his NBA career. While many of his teammates leaned on traditional medicine to soothe the pain inflicted by the daily grind of pro basket- ball, Haslem turned to marijuana. Along with the pain relief, it helped provide balance to his life as he suffered the losses of his mother, father, stepmother, and brother. “I get to the point in my NBA career where I’m saying, ‘OK, you know you don’t feel good all the time, your body’s a little banged up,’” Haslem tells New Times.”The first thing they want to do is they want to give you pills, they want to give you medicine, and I think in the long run, that just ends up hurting a little bit more when you talk about what’s internally going on with your body. So a little bit of can- nabis here and there, or an edible here and there — I found myself relaxing. I found my- self sleeping better. I found myself feeling better waking up for practice the next day.” At the time, cannabis use was hush-hush and stigmatized across the league, Haslem notes. Players were subject to routine and random marijuana testing all the way up until the “NBA bubble” in 2020, when the league created a biosecure environment to protect players from COVID-19 and suspended ran- dom testing for weed. Three years later, as part of a new collective bargaining agreement in 2023, the league agreed to cease penalizing players for using marijuana and removed can- nabis from its drug-testing program. “That was the best thing they could possi- bly do. Because after the NBA bubble, it was going to be hard to bring that back,” Haslem says. “You know, guys were smoking like chimneys in the bubble. You take a bunch of guys, and you just put them in a hotel room away from their families, away from their friends, and the only thing they have is bas- ketball for three or four months.” When the opportunity to work with the Flowery finally presented itself, Haslem looked to create something that would make a statement. He wanted to reflect his aggres- siveness as a basketball player. “A tough, gassy medicine that will instantly make an impact once you are introduced to it,” as he describes 40 OG. “That’s just who I am. That’s how I play the game,” he adds. “That’s how I approach things. If you met me, you’re going to >> p10 Blowing Smoke • BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN
