EDITOR’S NOTE: Entrepreneurs everywhere are eyeing the billion-dollar legal weed industry, an economic opportunity unrivaled in modern N.J. history. NJ Cannabis Insider features exclusive weekly content geared toward those interested in the marijuana industry. View a sample issue here!

You’d think that at 6 foot 9 inches, former New York Knick Al Harrington was done growing. But after 16 seasons in the NBA, he was just getting started: The power forward — and pride of the City of Orange — was about to become a cannabis industry giant, too.

He would go on to found the Harrington Group of companies, including Viola, a cannabis extracts company named for his grandmother. NJ Cannabis Insider caught up with Harrington to address the disappointing new state Division of Medicinal Marijuana’s biennial report detailing the dire level of access to cannabis extracts for medical patients and the stalled medical marijuana expansion.

Q: Other than the Knicks, the only thing in worse shape around here is patient access to cannabis extracts. Why did you decide to get into that part of the cannabis business?

A: Well, one reason was that building a brand in this space is far easier (than flower). Colorado, where we started, is more of a “deli”-style experience: The flower is in jars, and the jar’s contents go into this boring, white paper sack. But with extracts, you’re able to create some distinctive end-user packaging to set yourself apart.

Q: But Viola Extracts is named for your grandmother?

A: Yeah. Everything about it was about my grandmother, actually. When she was back home, suffering from glaucoma, I got her using cannabis to treat it. But then, well, I got a call from my mom who said, “She’s not using it anymore.” And I asked why, and it was that she’s not wanting people from church to come over to the house and have the whole place smelling like smoke. I wanted to be able to medicate her without everybody knowing.

Q: Are you interested in bringing Viola home to the Garden State?

A: Our company wants to come back to New Jersey. We’re already in California, Oregon, Michigan and Colorado. If there’s another round of 6 medical licenses, we’ll be applying. And if there’s rec, for the micro-licenses, too.

Q: Gov. Phil Murphy has struggled with getting recreational marijuana passed, and has threatened to vastly expand medical marijuana instead. You agree?

A: Sometimes major companies swoop in and go out and grab up all the market share, and then when rec comes, it’s like playing against the (Golden State) Warriors, where it’s like they’re up 30 points before you even get to play. I guess I would say I support him, but I also think it’s important to get the social equity side of it right first.

Q: Say more of what you mean.

A: You need programs that are set up for people of color for it to be fair. A lot of people, they don’t have access to the funds to even start the business. There’s a lot of things that need to be talked about. The state needs to address those issues. Because if you don’t have that, it’s impossible to run a good business. So it’s programs; it’s training: Providing funding for how to create SOP’s (standard operating procedures), the training to be successful. Increased access to capital. Incubator programs can impact that.

Q: Do you think legalization will happen in New Jersey?

A: I think that they have to. There’s too many dollars at stake. I mean, you want Pennsylvania, and New York and all the other states to figure out before you do? You don’t want to be last.

Q: People always want to know: How much money does it really cost to get into the cannabis business? So, now that you’ve done it, do you have an answer?

A: It’s tough to come up with a precise number. It’s dependent on how big your operation is. Most grows, if you want to just start off something small, just cultivation and retail, figure $2-3 million bucks -- and that’s without the real estate. The real estate is a whole other monster as well. It’s sometimes $100 a square foot, although I just looked a location in Maryland that was 50 cents a square foot.

Q: But you found out the hard way last May that even playing by the rules can require big contingency funds. The DEA and Detroit Metro Police raided your legal cannabis operation, seized $1 million worth of product and -- then dropped all the charges in August, right?

A: $1 million? That (raid) cost us $5 to $10 million bucks. Having to go back and rebuild, for no reason? Obviously, it costs. Why is this an important thing to remember? Well, if it wasn’t myself, or a company with resources, it would have been over. So it’s crucial for a business to have all the permits. I tell people: Do your homework, mind your laws.

Q: Is there a lesson you would want Gov. Phil Murphy and the Legislature to take from that horribly unjust experience?

A: The city was supposed to talk to us before they took action. You have to realize, ‘Oh, my bad!’ is not good enough when bank accounts are frozen, and people are locked up for 4 days. We would have been in real trouble had we not 7 attorneys working for us. You have to understand that a lot of people see this as a life-changing opportunity, and they put their very last (penny) into it. Those are the things you need to understand, especially where the state is concerned, because you could definitely see that happening here in NJ.

Claude Brodesser-Akner may be reached at cbrodesser@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ClaudeBrodesser. Find NJ.com on Facebook.

Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips Get the latest updates right in your inbox. Subscribe to NJ.com’s newsletters.