Cannabis and Celebrity-ism, Good or Bad for Cannabis?

cannabis celebrities

Did you hear?

Justin Bieber is going to launch a special edition cannabis something or other…

And the world is supposed to give a shit! I guess, some people would give a shit if they were ardent Bieber fans, but I’m not sure if his specific demographic is heavy on the pot use.

Irrespective of the speculations of the involvement, his pre-rolled line will be called “Peaches” in reference to a song lyric of his. Partnering with a California-based company “Palms” – they will be launching their product at some point in time.

Bieber wrote the following, which was published in a Bloomberg article.

“I’m a fan of Palms and what they are doing by making cannabis approachable and helping to destigmatize it –- especially for the many people who find it helpful for their mental health,” – Justin Bieber.

That’s the justification I suppose. I’m certain there’s also a decent amount of money for licensing his name to be used on a product. I’m sure he’ll make a sweet mint on the deal.

According to the statement, some of the money will be diverted to good causes such as the Last Prisoner Project and Veterans Walk and Talk. Both noble causes.

While all of this is great for Bieber and the charities it will undoubtedly help – the larger question should revolve around Celebrity-ism and the Cannabis industry.

There was a time when everybody distanced themselves from the idea of consuming cannabis. This was pre 2012 – when cannabis was considered immoral and for losers in the public conversation. Back then, many celebrities would not have touched any cannabis brand with a ten-foot poll.

Yet today, we’re seeing that more and more celebrities are beginning to “unleash their cannabrand” on the world. The question is – is that a good thing?

The Culture of Cannabis will be obliterated

I personally am not a fan of the concept “Cultural Appropriation”. I think people conflate the ideas of engaging with a culture because you have a connection to it in one way or another, and caricaturizing a culture or using it to turn profits.

For example, white people with dreads – is it cultural appropriation or simply someone who felt compelled to endure hours of braiding and commit to such a rigid hairstyle. Sure, the Rastafari also have dread locks and do them for spiritual purposes – but that doesn’t give them full ownership over the hairstyle.

If you can do it – do it!

Yet, some people would take offense to this type of behavior. And if we were to play that game then the counter-culture is being appropriated by the mainstream.

Cannabis users have been the social outcasts for years, the butt of a million jokes. The stoner trope was played to death in the 1990s and 2000s. People were being arrested and thrown in jail for their habit. People broke the law even though it wasn’t “cool” and as a result developed a deep rooted culture which is now being hijacked by celebrities like Justin Bieber.

This isn’t to say that Bieber shouldn’t participate within the cannabis market. I’ll get to that a bit further down.

The point here is that there is a culture being lost by the mainstream power grab and celebrity endorsements. Perhaps it’s time for the cannabis culture to evolve. It can no longer be “counter-culture” but simply “culture”.

Fortunately, the counter-culture also could give two shits about cultural appropriation so while there might be some traditional stoners who are bitching about the corporate takeover – life evolves dude…and mushrooms are still illegal (for now).

Is Celebrity-ism a good thing?

Perhaps having the Bieber enter into the marijuana game substantiates the act of consuming cannabis. Mainstream success and acceptance means that the stigma surrounding use will eventually begin to erode.

Once cannabis becomes as common as drinking a few beers – perhaps a different activity will become the “counter culture”.

One thing that we can say in favor of the celeb-rush in the industry is that it does give opportunities for certain brands to partner with high profile individuals. For independent cannabis businesses, partnering with the right celeb could mean a steady revenue stream.

This could simply help establish the cannabis industry as a “cornerstone industry” in society and once it’s intertwined with modern day “royalty” – it’s pretty much a done deal.

We know that Big Tech is pushing legalization, we know that celebrities have been engaging with cannabis brands ranging from Mike Tyson to Gwyneth Paltrow, many celebrities have jumped on the canna train.

At this point in time, there is no stopping the celebrity involvement within the industry. There is too much momentum and a whole lot of money to be made and so we can expect more celebs to jump in on the game.

Public Domain Strains

You may not know this, but there is a movement from some breeders to map the genome of certain strains and to keep it public domain. This is because more firms are beginning to register certain strains as intellectual property.

Essentially, with all of this celebrity involvement, giant corporations will be incentivized to protect their “property” and while you can’t place a patent on “cannabis”, you could potentially do so on particular strain genetics.

One thing you should be doing is to build up a seed bank. There may come a time when the seeds that you hold become quite valuable – especially if they are Free Range.

Nonetheless, we can see that the cannabis industry is evolving rapidly – people like Bieber is just a system of the machine of capitalism hard at work. Do not fear this evolution – it is inevitable and as long as there are people growing weed at home – the counter culture of cannabis will never die.

Celebrities have the right to use their brand to leverage it to make money. Cannabis is a plant that is available for all – so Bieber, you do you man – if you can make a mint then make a mint.