A personal health crisis is what Olympian Michael Frater said got him interested in the medicinal benefits of cannabis and eventually led to the opening of the 4/20 Therapeutic Bliss dispensary in Manor Park, Kingston on Saturday.
Frater, 38, represented Jamaica at the senior level for more than a decade, winning gold medals as a member of Jamaica’s world-record-setting 4x100m relay teams at the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea in 2011 and again at the London Olympics in 2012.
He also won a silver medal in the 100m at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki, Finland. He was also a 100m champion at the 2003 Pan American Games in the Dominican Republic.
However, about five years ago persistent problems with his knees forced him to retire.
At Saturday’s launch, he explained how those knee problems introduced him to the healing properties of cannabis.
“I had very bad knees, and I remember waking up one day, and my knees were swollen, and I couldn’t walk. I went to the University Hospital (of the West Indies) where I met with Dr (Carl) Bruce and ran some tests but nobody could figure out what was wrong,” he told the gathering that included Jamaica’s Minister of Sports Olivia Grange, former world record holder Asafa Powell and Jamaica and West Indies cricketer Chris Gayle.
Christopher Samuda, President of the Jamaica Olympic Association and Ali McNab, an advisor to the sports minister were also in attendance and were in rapt attention as Frater shared his harrowing experience.
“I had an IAAF (World Athletics) function in Monaco. I remember leaving on Monday and got there on Tuesday and I couldn’t even walk off the plane. They had to send a wheelchair for me,” he recalled.
Initially, doctors in Monaco believed his condition was the result of doping, he said, but subsequent tests disproved their theories even though they were still unable to determine what was the cause of the constant swelling and fluid build-up in his knees.
He spent two weeks in hospital there where doctors ‘patched’ him up enough to enable him to fly home.
A subsequent visit to a medical facility in Florida was also unable to help him get any closer to identifying what was wrong with his knees, he said which left him fearing he would spend the rest of his life in a wheelchair.
It was then that his father, Lindel Frater, suggested he tried cannabis oil. He tried it and within a month he felt ‘brand new’, he said.
“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.”
Minister Grange applauded the retired Olympian and praised him for his initiative in opening the dispensary. She eventually made the first purchase of medicinal marijuana. Samuda also shared similar sentiments while praising Frater for his venture into the cannabis industry.
Gayle, meanwhile, said Frater’s venture was an example for other retired athletes to emulate.
“I am a big supporter of Michael's career and now his business venture, and from a sportsman's point of view, there is life after your original career and to actually venture in a business is good for him and we are here to support him 100 per cent,” said Gayle.
Powell, who was Frater’s teammate on several national teams, said, his friend and colleague, was always a budding entrepreneur.
“From ever since, Michael has always been the brains among all of us. He has always been driven, business-oriented. I have always admired that about him,” said the former 100m world record holder who brought his wife Alyshia along.
“It’s kind of intimidating sometimes when you’re talking to him, and he is saying some stuff I don’t even know about, so I have always known he would make this step into business.
“He keeps pushing and I am very, very happy for him.”
Leighton Levy is a journalist with 28 years’ experience covering crime, entertainment, and sports. He joined the staff at SportsMax.TV as a content editor two years ago and is enjoying the experience of developing sports content and new ideas. At SportsMax.tv he is pursuing his true passion - sports.
Philadelphia joins Kingston, Miami and Los Angeles as host cities for inaugural season of Grand Slam Track
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania has been announced as the host city for the third Grand Slam Track™ event this season.
Four-time US Olympic Champion and Grand Slam Track founder and commissioner, Michael Johnson, made the announcement on Thursday that Philadelphia will be the fourth and final host city for its 2025 season, joining Kingston, Jamaica, Miami and Los Angeles.
The final calendar for the 2025 Grand Slam Track™ season, including the location and date for the Los Angeles Slam, will be released tomorrow.
“Philly has a reputation for bringing intensity to every event, and that’s exactly what we’re looking for with Grand Slam Track™,” said Johnson.
“There’s a unique energy in this city, and we’re excited to see how the athletes respond to that. Philadelphia’s sports culture is something else, and it’s going to elevate the competition.”
Philadelphia’s strong sports identity and devoted fan base make it an ideal location for Grand Slam Track™.
The Philadelphia Slam will be held at Franklin Field, at the University of Pennsylvania, in Philadelphia on May 30th, 31st, and June 1st, where the world’s fastest racers will compete.
Franklin Field is also famous for being the venue for the annual Penn Relays.
Jamaica Olympic Association endorses Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track series debut in Kingston
The Jamaica Olympic Association (JOA) has thrown its full support behind the highly anticipated Grand Slam Track series, a pioneering track and field competition created by American Olympic icon Michael Johnson. Kingston’s National Stadium will host the inaugural event from April 4-6, 2025, marking a historic occasion as Jamaica kicks off a global series that merges elite competition with cultural celebration in select cities worldwide.
In endorsing the Grand Slam Track initiative, JOA President Christopher Samuda highlighted the series’ alignment with the evolving nature of sports as both a business and a cultural experience. “The economy of sport is continually diversifying its product offerings,” Samuda said. “This move merits support, for yesterday’s novelty in sport is becoming today’s norm of business innovation in a global enterprise where changing the game has become a pre-requisite of staying in the game and winning the grand slam.”
The Grand Slam Track series promises substantial financial rewards for competitors, a prospect that appeals to both athletes and sports financiers. JOA Secretary General/CEO Ryan Foster outlined the benefits, emphasizing that Grand Slam Track supports the JOA’s vision for sustainable athletic growth. “The grand slam track will not only pay dividends for aspirations invested initially in sweat equity and maturing in bonus payments,” Foster said, “which is a qualitative strategy of the JOA, but, more importantly, the meets will provide self-actualising opportunities for athletes and value for money for fans.”
Beyond the prize money, the JOA sees Grand Slam Track as a platform for continuous, high-level competition, helping athletes prepare for the Olympics by fostering ongoing development through regular, intense matchups. “On the other side of the minted coin of sport, top-ranking athletes will be able to constantly measure performance against character as they compete continually against each other,” Foster explained, adding that it is “in conditioning themselves for the premier event, the Olympic Games,” that athletes will truly benefit from the series.
Drawing inspiration from other global sports formats like tennis and Formula One, Grand Slam Track aims to create an experience that celebrates the culture of each host city. This aspect particularly resonates with the JOA’s vision of sports as a cultural and economic driver. “The concept is allied to the advocacy of the JOA,” Samuda noted, “as we treat sporting events as experiences in physical culture, fan engagement, cuisine, music, entertainment, and tourism—all of which are drivers in creating a viable sports industry.”
The JOA’s backing of Grand Slam Track aligns with its commitment to sports innovation, a mission that led the association to launch the “Olympic Destiny” series in 2021. This JOA initiative was designed to prepare Jamaican athletes for the Tokyo Olympics amid the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Olympic Destiny series offered incentives for athletes and fostered historic performances, including Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce’s national record-setting 10.63s sprint in the 100m. That experience, Samuda pointed out, was “a first in the history of the sport,” underscoring the JOA’s commitment to driving progress and championing local talent on a global stage.
With the JOA’s endorsement, Michael Johnson’s Grand Slam Track is poised to deliver a unique blend of high-stakes competition and cultural celebration, solidifying Jamaica’s position as a host for world-class athletic events and creating a new chapter in track and field’s evolution.
Miami announced as host city for second Grand Slam Track event from May 2-4
Grand Slam Track™, the new global home of professional track competition, launched earlier this year by four-time US Olympic Champion Michael Johnson, today officially announced that Miami, Florida, will be the host city for the second of the four Slam events, when Grand Slam Track™ competition begins in 2025.
The Miami Slam will take place at Ansin Sports Complex, in Miramar, Florida, on May 2nd, 3rd, and 4th 2025, welcoming the fastest racers in the world to compete for huge prizes.
With Miami joining Los Angeles and Kingston, Jamaica, the one additional remaining location will be announced later this week.
“South Florida knows how to host big events, and that’s exactly what we’re bringing with Grand Slam Track™,” said Michael Johnson, the league’s founder and Commissioner.
“This region has a real passion for sports, and I’m confident the energy here will make it a memorable experience for both the racers and the fans. We’re building something special, and Miami is going to be a huge part of that.”
With its world-renowned sports culture, South Florida is set to provide the ideal stage for Grand Slam Track™.
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