When Al Harrington was growing up in Orange, he had aunts and uncles who smoked weed, something he says they were shamed for.
As a result, he was "always scared to touch it," Harrington said in a Vice News segment published in May. See the video below. (Warning: It contains explicit language.)
But after a 16-year NBA career, Harrington now not only touches marijuana, he's invested $5 million in a cannabis company that he hopes can help people out West -- where his products are currently sold -- and in his former neighborhood.
"The first thing I started thinking about was how can I go back into my old community and try to uplift the community by bringing this industry there and creating jobs," Harrington told Vice News.
Harrington's company is Viola Extracts, which makes marijuana extracts that are sold in dozens of stores out West. He also owns Harrington Wellness, which makes products from CBD, a nonpsychoactive compound found in the cannabis and hemp plants.