Richmond, Va. ? Michael Vick left Virginia on Monday to enter a drug treatment program at a Kansas prison, a move that could reduce the former NFL star’s 23-month sentence on a federal dogfighting conviction.

The suspended Atlanta Falcons quarterback is now at the U.S. Bureau of Prisons minimum security facility in Leavenworth, his attorney, Billy Martin, said.

Vick tested positive for marijuana in September while he was on supervised release following his guilty plea. The residential drug treatment programs at Bureau of Prisons institutions take place in units set apart from the general prison population, lasting at least 500 hours over six to 12 months, according to Bureau of Prisons policy.

Upon completion of the program, nonviolent offenders may be granted up to one year of early release. Staff members review the inmates’ records and behavior to determine if they are eligible for early release.

If Vick was granted early release, he could be ready to play in the 2009 football season, though he is currently suspended without pay by the NFL.

“Mr. Vick looks forward to being reunited with his family upon completion of his sentence,” Martin said. “He is hopeful that following his release he will have the opportunity to resume his career as a professional football player.”

Vick was accompanied by U.S. marshals when he left the Northern Neck Regional Jail on Monday morning, said Maj. Ted Hull of the Warsaw, Va., jail.