Superstar High
A closer look at celebrity cannabis brands.
Celebrities are synonymous with selling commercial products, but only a select few brands with big-name endorsements have proven to offer high-quality goods. The same trend exists within the rapidly growing legal cannabis industry. But which actors, entertainers and athletes are behind brands worth your hard-earned dollar? Here’s our list of celebrity cannabis brands (and products) that revere quality just as much as they do star power.
Shavo Odadjian | 22Red
Heavy metal may not seem to usually go hand in hand with cannabis culture, but Shavo Odadjian is single-handedly changing that. The System of a Down bass player and the hugely popular band’s leader has sold boutique cannabis strains and products under the brand 22Red since California legalized adult use in 2016.
What separates his weed from the rest is that 22Red strains are cultivated for musicians, artists and designers, with the intention of bringing out the creativity within.
Ricky Williams | Highsman
Yet another athlete stigmatized for his cannabis use during his impressive National Football League career, former Pro Bowl running back Ricky Williams has gone from serving nearly two years’ worth of marijuana-related suspensions to becoming the name behind a respected—and growing—cannabis company.
Highsman, a cheeky allusion to the collegiate most valuable player trophy once claimed by University of Texas at Austin standout, provides top-notch cannabis strains that can be enjoyed by fans and athletes alike. However, the breakout is “Ricky Baker,” a collaboration with former football pro Chris Ball, which is genetically grown to help manage pain relief and inflammation popular with athletes.
Bella Thorne | Forbidden Flowers
After taking turns as a Disney darling, pop diva and in-demand actress, Bella Thorne is now also a bad-ass pot boss since the launch of her own cannabis brand, Forbidden Flowers.
The quality speaks for itself—Forbidden Flowers partners with respected Santa Barbara-based cultivators Glass House Farms—but Thorne says her mission is to provide products that empower women to reap health benefits without any judgment or stigma. Who wouldn’t get behind that?
Dwyane Wade | Jeeter
A former NBA champion for the Miami Heat and absolute soon-to-be hall-of-famer just aren’t enough titles for Dwyane Wade. The retired superstar now adds author and cannabis spokesperson to the list.
Fresh off the publishing of his autobiography, Wade has gone on to launch a limited edition of infused pre-rolls produced by the California company Jeeter. The three-pack of special flavors comes packaged in a box mimicking a copy of Wade’s book.
Willie Nelson | Willie’s Reserve
He’s quite possibly the most famous musical act synonymous with 420 culture, so it makes total sense that Willie Nelson’s personal pot brand lands on this list.
The celebrated country outlaw launched Willie’s Reserve in 2016. It’s no surprise that his small-batch strains are top-quality, but Nelson also makes an obligation to produce sustainably grown cannabis sourced from independently owned farms
and growers.
Cheech Marin + Tommy Chong | Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis Co.
The comedic duo built their early career on the plant—beginning way back when marijuana was considered highly subversive—to the point that Tommy Chong was once imprisoned for merely selling smoking accessories online.
Now that cannabis isn’t nearly considered taboo, Chong has reunited with Cheech Marin to capitalize on an emergent legal market with their very own line of boutique cannabis, Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis Co., as well as a dispensary franchise. While the stoner comedy pair offers their own line of top-shelf products, including flower, extracts and edibles, they also carry a chain of brick-and-mortar shops titled Cheech & Chong’s Cannabis Co.
Mike Tyson | Tyson 2.0
Heavyweight boxing legend Mike Tyson was once fined in 2000 for testing positive for marijuana. More than two decades later, the iconic bruiser now makes it his business. The Tyson 2.0 line of cannabis products offers its own share of premium-grade strains, pre-rolled joints and concentrates.
But the undisputed champion of clever marketing goes to Mike Bites, Tyson’s line of infused gummy candies molded in the shape of a bitten ear. The packaging and design are a mischievous reference to his infamous disqualification for biting contender Evander Holyfield during a 1997 title fight.
Cypress Hill | Dr. Greenthumb’s
Los Angeles hip-hop luminaries Cypress Hill are yet another act that gets credit for championing cannabis years before it was considered commercial.
While Dr. Greenthumb’s dispensary has served SoCal for quite some time, the rap group recently launched a new line of craft cannabis catering to specific budgets. The flower comes in three categories: Loyal for price-pinchers, Legacy for average consumers and Unapologetic, for those willing to pay top dollar for the finest cuts available.
Jim Belushi | Belushi’s Farm
Perhaps best known as a television sitcom dad for the better part of two decades, Jim Belushi has traded in a studio audience for his own budding cannabis empire.
His brand, Belushi’s Farm, is no play on words. He, in fact, lives and operates on his Oregon farm. While most celebrities are content to merely slap their endorsement on a product, Belushi is out in the fields growing and cultivating his own cannabis. In fact, Belushi can be seen tilling his fields on the Discovery Channel’s TV series, Growing Belushi. Among his brand’s offerings is Belushi’s Chasing Magic, a line of cannabis flowers available in Oregon dispensaries.
This story was originally published in issue 47 of the print edition of Cannabis Now.
