During his life, the late Hunter S. Thompson became known as many things: celebrated writer, political candidate, icon of the counterculture.

His readers also knew him as a man who enjoyed using cannabis, which he made clear in many of the magazine articles and books he wrote.

“I have always loved marijuana,” he once famously said. “It has been a source of joy and comfort to me for many years. And I still think of it as a basic staple of life, along with beer and ice and grapefruits – and millions of Americans agree with me.”

No wonder, then, that with recreational marijuana now legal in his home state of Colorado, his widow has decided to create a new strain of cannabis based on the famous writer’s personal stash. Anita Thompson has saved six different kinds of cannabis smoked by her late husband and plans to regrow them to create a new strain of cannabis.

Not surprisingly, it will be sold under the name Gonzo.

A Brief History of Hunter S. Thompson

Thompson, born in Louisville, Ken., rose to prominence as a writer in the 1970s. Much of his fame arose from what he called “gonzo journalism,’ in which he placed himself in the middle of whatever he was reporting on, becoming the central figure of the narrative.

The first famous publication in this style came with a 1970 article in Scanlan’s Monthly titled, “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved,” in which Thompson went back to the area of his upbringing and focused not on the race, but the raucous party around the event.

He wrote most frequently for Rolling Stone magazine and later authored many books, including “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” and “Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail ’72,” with much of his work illustrated by British artist Ralph Steadman.  He also was a long-time proponent of drug legalization.

Thompson died at his home in Colorado in 2005.

Gonzo Cannabis Strains

According to Rolling Stone magazine, Thompson’s widow, Anita, decided to save six strains of the writer’s favorite cannabis that she is now working with a marijuana company to regrow. She said she has been approached over the years to allow people to put her late husband’s name or likeness on a cannabis product, but she always said, “No.”

After spending the first decade after his death “preserving his literary legacy,” Anita Thompson said she started to look into what she could do with the cannabis. She also recently purchased Owl Farm in Colorado, where Thompson lived for many decades (the farm previously was owned by a trust set up by Thompson).

Anita Thompson plans to use money made through the cannabis venture to turn Owl Farm into a private museum and writer’s retreat, beginning as soon as May 2017.

The product, based on cannabis Thompson enjoyed, will join a list of other celebrity marijuana ventures. They include brands of cannabis sold by Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson, as well as cannabidiol products from Whoopi Goldberg and Melissa Etheridge.