The Growing Trend of Celebrities in the Weed Business
Celebrities have a lot of influence over pop culture and consumer behavior, which is why so many of them end up endorsing products or even creating their own. The wine industry has many vineyards owned by celebrities, like Sting, Dave Matthews and Drew Barrymore. Now that marijuana is legal in multiple states, celebrities are getting started in the fast-growing marijuana industry.
Celebrities in the Weed Business
Here are some of the stars who have joined the cannabis industry already:
Whoopi Goldberg
Whoopi Goldberg is one of the few celebrities who has won an Emmy, a Grammy, a Tony and an Academy Award. She also is one of the celebrities participating in the “Green Rush,” a nickname for the rapidly growing marijuana industry.
Goldberg recently announced her own brand of medical marijuana products. This announcement is an example of how much more mainstream marijuana has become, since Goldberg is such a major public figure.
Snoop Dogg
Some celebrities, like rapper Snoop Dogg, have been vocal marijuana advocates for years. So it was not surprising when Snoop got into the marijuana business. The rapper has more than one cannabis venture, from his marijuana brand, “Leafs by Snoop,” to a marijuana-friendly venture capitalist company.
Melissa Etheridge
After being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004, Melissa Etheridge started using medicinal marijuana. Not only did the singer beat cancer, but she has now put her money toward helping other people get the same relief with her line of cannabis-infused wines. She has told reporters that she believes in marijuana for both medical help and as a business opportunity.
Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson is almost as well known for his fondness for marijuana as he is for his music. The country singer has created his own brand of marijuana.
“I will make sure it’s good or it won’t be on sale,” Nelson told Rolling Stone magazine. “There should be a menu just like in a restaurant because there’s so many different kinds of pot that do many different things.” That lends to the argument that weed is becoming more like wine.
Kevin Smith
Many of the characters in Kevin Smith movies are marijuana users, but the director took his creative direction to new highs when he created two branded strains of marijuana to promote his 2014 film, “Tusk.” Smith teamed up with a medical marijuana dispensary in Los Angeles to create the strains White Walrus and Mr. Tusk, named after characters in the film.
Wiz Khalifa
Rapper Wiz Khalifa is a regular marijuana user. That is why he teamed up with a San Francisco medical marijuana dispensary to release his own strain of cannabis based on his own personal marijuana preferences, aptly named Khalifa Kush.
Tommy Chong
As half of the legendary comedy duo Cheech and Chong, Tommy Chong has been one of the famous faces of the marijuana movement for decades. He may be developing his own strain of marijuana, according to reports. He also has another unique product out called “Tommy Chong’s Smoke Swipe,” dry clothing wipes intended to eliminate the odor of marijuana or tobacco smoke from smokers’ clothes.
That’s a handful of some of the famous people moving into the marijuana industry. Expect more as states across the country make marijuana legal and relax the current laws against weed.