Allen Iverson is bringing his own Weed strain to PA
Iverson is also coming to town to celebrate on Sept 2.
Allen Iverson is coming back to Philly, and this time, he’s bringing his own weed.
That’s courtesy of a partnership with former NBA player Al Harrington’s cannabis brand Viola, which will soon debut in Pennsylvania. As part of the brand’s Keystone State rollout, Viola cannabis will be available exclusively at RISE medical marijuana dispensaries for the launch, and then will appear at other state dispensaries. The menu includes Iverson ‘01 — the name references A.I.’s MVP season (and, incidentally, the last time the Sixers reached the NBA finals).
Patients who purchase the strain can expected a “euphoric, balanced body and head high,” along with the taste of flowers, pine, orange, and hops, according to Viola’s website. It is an indica-dominant hybrid strain, and comes from a cross of two other cultivars — GMO and Cherry Pie. It will be priced at $45 an eighth (3.5 grams), and other Viola strains will be $40 for the same amount.
The Iverson ‘01 strain, however, is not The Answer’s first brush with branded marijuana. He partnered with Harrington in 2021 for Iverson ‘96, another indica-dominant strain that takes its name from the year the 11-time NBA All-Star was drafted into the NBA by the Sixers. Iverson ‘01 came a year later, launching in spring 2022.
Iverson’s cannabis strain arrived on the local weed market last month, when Viola brought the brand to New Jersey, where legal recreational marijuana sales started just over a year ago. It’s available exclusively at RISE locations in the Garden State as well, and sells for $60 an eighth. The strain’s taste, he told Forbes at the time of its release, “reminded me of Dom Pérignon,” a noted favorite of Iverson’s.
In celebration of Viola’s launch in Pennsylvania, Iverson and Harrington will appear at a meet-and-greet event at RISE’s new Philadelphia location at 3903 Aramingo Ave. in Port Richmond on Sept. 2 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees must be valid Pennsylvania medical marijuana cardholders.
Owned by Green Thumb Industries, a multistate operator based out of Chicago, RISE has 18 locations across Pennsylvania, and opened its Aramingo Avenue store in June. There are two other RISE locations near Philly, in King of Prussia (445 West DeKalb Pike) and Warminster (435 York Rd.)
Harrington, a journeyman power forward, founded Viola in 2011. The company is named in honor of Harrington’s grandmother, who suffered from glaucoma. The company’s goal, according to a statement, is to “ensure Black and brown people are afforded the opportunity to be a part of a fast-growing industry that has historically left them disenfranchised.” It is available in eight states and across Canada.
Iverson, meanwhile, was a regular marijuana smoker during his early days in the NBA, as he told GQ in 2021. He was arrested in 1997 after police found the drug in his car on the way home from a party in Virginia, resulting in a plea bargain that carried three years probation. But, as he told GQ, cannabis hasn’t been a regular part of his life since around 2014 following a bad high.
“So, weed ain’t my [thing] ... no more,” Iverson told GQ. “I’ll stick to the … Dom Pérignon, man.”
