A personal health crisis is what Jamaican Olympian Michael Frater said pushed him to open the 4/20 Therapeutic Bliss dispensary in Kingston last weekend.
The 38-year-old Jamaican athlete said that persistent problems with his knees forced him to retire five years ago. He said doctors could not find a solution to his bad knee after visits to The University Hospital of the West Indies and a hospital in France.
After months of severe problems that rendered him incapable of walking at one point, Frater’s father suggested that he try cannabis oil. Frater said he tried it and within a month, he felt ‘brand new’.
“I started studying a lot about it and realized that a drug that has been taboo for most of my life is really a miracle drug. It’s really a drug that once taken properly with the proper prescription, the medicinal purposes are exponential,” he said,
Jamaica’s Minister of Sports, Olivia Grange, who attended the opening, applauded the retired Olympian for his initiative.
“What is important about what you are doing is that you are not just an athlete who at the end of your active career, sit down, fold your arms and wait for something to happen, you have set an excellent example for others to follow,” said Minister Grange. She urged more Jamaican athletes to get involved in business on the island.
Jamaica Olympic Association President Christopher Samuda, former 100m world record holder Asafa Powell and West Indies cricket star Chris Gayle were also among the invited guests.
