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Al Byrne
Athlete Ambassador
Sport:
Rugby
Position:
Team(s):
Years Active:
1961-1965
Current City:
Carrabelle, FL
Career Highlights
High School - Hockey 1959-1961: 1961 Defense,19-0 New England competition; Baseball, lst base, .365 batting average, New England competition.
College - Tackle Football, U . Notre Dame intramural, 8-0, starting wide receiver, 1961-2; Rugby, starting Wing, 1962-1965, national/international competition - undefeated.
Guiness Book of World Records, Slow-pitch Softball, lst base, Team, perfect game, Newport, RI.
US Navy, various unit teams, "touch football" and "slow pitch softball"- I was older then!
Post Career Highlights
Obtaining his Navy commission in the UND ROTC program he served on a Destroyer, as an advisor in Vietnam, at various US Naval installations and as a Navy Seabee.
A lifelong cannabis advocate he was the co-Director of the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws for several years and the National Secretary from 1989 to 1992. With his wife, Mary Lynn Mathre RN, he co-founded Patients Out of Time, Inc. in 1995 to teach the US medical and nursing community about the therapeutic uses of cannabis in accredited settings. He co-produced an award winning “Marijuana as Medicine” video documentary in 1997. He was instrumental in the founding of The Medical Cannabis Institute an on-line accredited cannabis education program designed for RN’s and MD’s. Al is the US representative for patient advocacy for the European based International Academy of Cannabis Medicine.
In 2007 Al co-founded Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access a national all volunteer Veterans Service non-profit that is responsible for negotiating the first Veterans Health Administration cannabis policy in the US in 2010. VMCA has since championed PTS(d) as an indication qualifying for medical cannabis in numerous US states.
Al co-hosts “Veterans Voices” and Patients Out of Time’s radio program on the iHeart Radio Network. He lives in north Florida with his wife and three Golden Retrievers, is a member of the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars.
Current Company
Veterans for Medical Cannabis Access
Brands & Products I Promote
Veterans Voices
IHeart Radio Network
Passion Projects
Veterans/athletic injuries, therapeutic cannabis education, patient advocacy
In The News
NFL's Clint Johnson Joins Cannabis Advocacy Group, Says Helping Others Is 'Lifelong Mission'
Athletes for CARE recently hired Clint Johnson, former football player for the Atlanta Falcons (NFL), Edmonton Eskimos (CFL) and Notre Dame.
Johnson will be the organization's Director of Development.
Athletes for CARE is focused on advocating for research, education, and compassion around health issues, with a focus on cannabis. Johnson will bring a wealth of experience from a dynamic career focused on the growth, development, and expansion of organizations that directly benefit the community, to his role at Athletes for CARE.
Entrepreneur
The Week In Cannabis: GrowGeneration’s Spike, Big Earnings, Stocks In Decline, And Dutchie’s Funding
GRWG) managed to close in the green, with gains of 24%. This still meant giving up some of the gains accrued between Aug. 12 and Aug. 19.
The rally started last Friday when the grow supplies company reported its second-quarter financial results, establishing a new revenue record for the tenth consecutive quarter.
GrowGeneration continued to spike on Monday after Jim Cramer interviewed CEO Darren Lampert on CNBC, describing its business model as the “most exciting” he’s seen in retail.
Following a five-day rally, GrowGeneration’s stock hit a peak of $22.30 on Wednesday, and commenced a small decline as excitement around its earnings wore off and some investors looked to take profits. On Friday, shares took a dive of more than 9% after Hindenburg Research published a report arguing the “Euphoric Retail Stock Has The Brightest Management Red Flags” that analysts have “ever seen,” saying downside surpasses 70%.
Benzinga
With CFL season scuttled, Bergman enjoys 'just being a dad'
The silver lining for Norfolk County native Shane Bergman in COVID-19 upsetting plans for the 2020 Canadian Football League season is the extra time he got to spend with his nine-month-old son, Asher.
The season, originally scheduled to begin in June, was officially cancelled this week.
The CFL had asked the federal government for a $30-million interest-free loan with the intention of creating a hub city (Winnipeg) to host games with no spectators. But the loan was turned down and the CFL put the brakes on plans for a six-game regular season, followed by playoffs and a Grey Cup.
“I had no idea what was going on with those talks between the CFL and the federal government,” said the offensive lineman for the Calgary Stampeders. “I didn’t know about the final decision but I thought it was going (to be cancelled) just because it took so long. It was inevitable.”
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