In case you aren’t on Instagram and are thus living in the stone ages, actor Seth Rogan (known for playing stoner-friendly roles in many of his movies) and director/screenwriter and producer Evan Goldberg have teamed up to launch their own Canadian cannabis brand.
So what you may say, cannabis brands have been popping up like “weeds” in the last few years as marijuana legalization has spread across North America faster than chickenpox at a middle-school lock-in.
There are though a few things in particular that make Houseplant stand apart from other premium cannabis brands. Read our full overview of Houseplant here.
Before There Was Cannabis There Was Alcohol
Celebrities launching their own brands and product lines is not a new concept. From designer clothing collaborations to all-out launches, the celebrity-turned-titan of industry has only exploded in popularity with the importance and sheer scope allotted personalities today via platforms like Instagram.
One only has to look at the other legal recreational drug market to see where this trend is going. Yes, we’re talking alcohol. To name a few celebrity-endorsed, celebrity-paid, or celebrity owned companies:
- Matthew Mcconaughey’s Wild Turkey Long Branch whisky (serves as Creative Director)
- George Clooney’s Tequila Casamingos (co-owner/joint partnership)
- P Diddy’s Ciroc and DeLeon tequila (Marketer, Spokesperson, Co-owner of DeLeon)
- Dan Aykroyd’s Cyrstal Head vodka (co-owner)
- Dave Matthews Dreaming Tree wine (collaboration iwth Sonoma Country winemaker Sean McKenzie)
- David Beckham’s scotch whisky (Spokesperson)
- Justin Timberlake’s tequila (owner)
- Ryan Reynolds Aviation gin (purchased the Portland, OR based company)
It was these celebrity alcohol startups and exclusive partnerships that really fed the fuel to the boutique or “famma-branding” of cannabis once more states opened up their legislation to legalization.
Top 21 Rapper Owned Cannabis Brands
- Cookies by rapper Berner who also supplies many other rapper branded cannabis companies
- Wiz Khalifa – RiverRock dispensary produced “Khalifa Kush” cannabis strain
- Snoop Dogg – Leafs by Snoop cannabis, including “Dogg OG” strain and an edible line, owner of merryjane.com
- Jay-Z – Monogram cannabis line in partnership with Calafornia located Caliva
- Curren$y – Andretti OG strain, Sneaker Politics and Reebok collaborator
- Method Man and Redman – partial owners and spokesmen for BlazeNow weed locator app company and is also behind Tical cannabis brand, of which their C.R.E.A.M strain and C.R.E.A.M x El Blunto collaboration are most popular.
- Xzibit – Napalm OG strain, Brass Knuckles vape partner, edible line owner
- Juicy J – Green Suicide strain and popular rolling papers.
- Kurupt – Moonrock (Girl Scout Cookies strain dipped in hash oil, covered in kief)
- Waka Flocka – Flockaveli OG strain
- Jim Jones – CAPO blunts in partnership with Saucy Extracts & Farms
- Soulja Boy – King Soulja and Marilyn Monroe OG strains
- Migos – Migo Gas strain
- Lil’ Wayne – GKUA Ultra Premium is Lil Wayne’s cannabis brand of pre-rolls, flower, concentrates and edibles.
- Chief Keef – Cannabis shop owner, Chief Keef OG strain
- The Game – partner of The Reserve dispensary, owner of TreesbyGame products
- Riff Raff – Black Rose Collective strain “Jody Highroller”, Red Carpet Kush, and Lamborghini Leg Lock strains
- Nipsey Hussle – Marathon OG strain
- Ghostface Killah & Killah Priest – WuGoo hash oil and vape cartridges
- A$AP Rocky – owner Flacko Jodye vaporizers
- Ice Cube – Fryday Kush, in partnership with Caviar Gold
You’ll notice a theme with the above business owners, that they are primarily hip-hop artists. This isn’t coincidence.
Cannabis has been a staple pillar of hip-hop culture since its inception and most rappers have been smoking on the good good years before it was available legally in dispensaries.
Celebrity strains are blowing up in popularity, similar to how celebrity endorsed alcohol brands blew up in the late 2000’s.
If you’ve been both a heavy drinker and a cannabis user in your life then its easy to see that cannabis is the future (chill, no hangovers, natural, the advantages over alcohol are endless) so it only makes sense that the industry will see a proliferation of celebrity deals, endorsements and new businesses.
Cannabis investing isn’t limited to rappers though. Below is a more eclectic list of famous people, from athletes to actors and everything in between, who have looked to cash in on the booming marijuana industry in one capacity or another.
Top 22 Celebrity Owned Cannabis Brands
- Mike Tyson – Owner of Tyson Holistic Holdings selling hemp-infused products, and owner of Tyson Ranch, a growing property, cannabis university, and resort.
- Joe Montana – Venture capital firm Liquid 2 Ventures, investor behind Herb.com media
- Cheech Marin & Tommy Chong – Owners of Cheech’s Private Stash brand, Chong’s Choice brand
- Justin Trudeau – Capitalized on pro-legalization sentiment in Canada to secure Prime Minister job
- Whoopi Goldberg – Female-focused products for menstrual relief, Whoopi & Maya Medical Cannabis brand
- Forbidden Flowers is actress Bella Thornes creative cannabis brand with graphic designs to match the artistic target audience
- Patrick Stewart – Partner at Oxford Cannabinoid Technologies, investor in research for pain and inflammation therapies
- Gwyneth Paltrow – Owner of Goop lifestyle brand, vape pen, CBD patch, bath bomb and herbal tea branded products via MedMen dispensary
- Seth Rogan – Houseplant cannabis brand, making an industry overrun with hip-hop references more “mom and pop” friendly, in partnership with his director friend Evan Goldberg.
- Jimmy Buffet – Partner with Wrigley gum heir William Wrigley Jr. to form cannabis startup Coral Reefer
- Willie Nelson – Owner Willie’s Reserve cannabis products
- Damien Marley – Owner Ocean Grown Extracts
- Gene Simmons – Spokesperson for Invictus, a Canadian based cannabis firm
- Dan Bilzerian – Founder at Ignite International Brands cannabis investment firm
- Kevin Smith – Snoogans, Snoochie, and Berzerker
- Marshawn Lynch – Dodi Blunts (THCa diamond infused blunts) in partnership with 2nd & Goal Ventures
- Al Harrington – ViolaBrands cannabis
- John Salley – Deuces22 cannabis, GreenSpace Labs, and The Cannabis Plan with National Insurance Partners
- Ricky Williams – Real Wellness by Ricky Williams
- Rob Gronkowski – CBDMedic CBD products in partnership with Abacus Health Solutions
- Calvin Johnson aka Megatron + Rob Sims – Privitiv cultivation and dispensary
- The Blues Brothers by Jim Belushi & Dan Akroyd out of Oregon
Shoppers Beware: Not Everything Is Worth the Hype
With more sports leagues loosening their restrictions on cannabis as more and more states legalize marijuana, and as more evidence emerges supporting cannabis-derived health benefits, we only see the professional athlete space growing in the future.
With hundreds for farms throughout North America, and with Canada already federally legalizing weed, the supply is definitely there and the opportunity is ripe for professional athletes and celebrities to cash in on their name by launching bespoke custom products to their fans.
Some brands are of notoriously high quality. Wiz Khalifa, Berner, Willie Nelson, Seth, these people loved cannabis long before it was legal and popular and that passion shows in their product. Be careful with other celebrity branded cannabis lines.
Personally I wait until I hear at least one personal recommendation before shelling out the premium for a celebrity branded product. There is a lot of amazing cannabis that can stand on it’s own without celebrity endorsement, usually for a lower cost.
What do you think, hyped for cannabis sponsored products or are you sticking with your no-name bud hookup for now? Let us know in the comments!
