MORENO VALLEY, CA — Kyle Turley, former NFL All-Pro offensive lineman, has been working on two goals: change the NFL’s policy on punishing positive tests for cannabis and open his own dispensary in his hometown to help stem the use of opiates. Both are happening this week.

With the National Football League Players Association voting on a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that includes no punishment for positive tests on marijuana, Turley will achieve one big hurdle that began two years ago when he first approached the NFL.

“I made this happen,” Turley says. “The NFL is moving the needle on this because I first spoke with the NFL. There is no way the conversation is happening without me.”

Turley will be seeing his quest to secure such an agreement come to fruition if the CBA is ratified by the players this week.

“Rallying all these guys together for unity in sports about this conversation is because I put it together.”

For Turley, being part of a business in his hometown, where he was a multi-sport athlete at Moreno Valley High School, is a highlight in his post-NFL career.

“I’m so proud to be bringing a game-changing business to my hometown,” Turley said. “This is ground zero for Kyle Turley’s involvement in marijuana. That is why I came back to my hometown to do this.

“It’s pretty exciting and it feels like I was destined for this,” he said. “I asked God for guidance and I prayed to get off opiates and here we are.”

To interview Kyle Turley this week, call him directly at (951) 333-7367, or come to the Shango opening on Friday. The dispensary is located at 11875 Pigeon Pass, Unit C1 in Moreno Valley, in the Stater Bros shopping center at the corner of Pigeon Pass and Ironwood, near California Highway 60. Hours of operation are from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week.

As a high school and college athlete, Turley never used cannabis until he sustained painful injuries and numerous concussions while playing in the NFL.

“I had friends who lost their college scholarships because they tested positive for marijuana, but I never needed it,” Turley recalls. “It’s ironic that now I’m a huge cannabis advocate and living proof that it can change your life and even save your life. This plant is shifting the conversation from being on drugs to getting off drugs.

“I haven’t been sick in five years and I am not afraid of the coronavirus,” he added.

Turley and Shango founder and CEO Brandon Rexroad form the ownership group that is bringing the Shango brand to the Inland Empire.

Rexroad, a longtime resident of Orange County, is a close friend of Turley who grew up in Moreno Valley.

“Opening a dispensary in Southern California has been a personal goal of mine since I started in the cannabis industry nearly 24 years ago,” Rexroad said. “We’re excited to be the first licensed dispensary in Moreno Valley and we’re planning on making a positive impact on this community.

“Shango Moreno Valley has an exceptional location,” Rexroad said. “Shango will offer the best cannabis shopping experience in the Inland Empire. Our customers are going to be amazed.”

The official Grand Opening celebration for the public will take place on March 13, 2020 at 10 a.m. with a Moreno Valley Chamber of Commerce ribbon-cutting ceremony, featuring local government and business leaders and media. Representatives of Shango’s ownership group and management will be available for Interviews before and during the event.

The first 50 people in line for the Grand Opening will receive complimentary Shango merchandise and deep discounts on cannabis products and accessories. Other special offers and raffles will be available to all customers throughout the Grand Opening weekend.

Shango holds a total of 29 cannabis licenses in state markets across the country, including 10 for dispensaries in Oregon, Nevada, Michigan, California and Missouri. Moreno Valley is the first of several planned Shango dispensaries in California. The company will also be opening its first distribution facility in California in summer of 2020.

Rexroad and Turley are the ownership group operating as SMV GROUP INC. The Moreno Valley facility contains 5,000 square feet of retail space.