As the legalization of cannabis changes the channel on decades of stigmatization, celebrities are lit, vibing, and cashing out with their own branded pot products. As many celebs — including actors, musicians, and athletes — were already smoking weed, it was an organic transition to create a strain, launch a cannabis brand, or co-sign on a 'canna biz' and share the limelight.
En masse, celebrity-branded and -endorsed cannabis products are making their way to retail and medical shelves throughout the U.S. Superstars, too, want to sell cannabis to you in Arizona. Phoenix New Times compiled a list of some of the products that made their way to the Valley.
En masse, celebrity-branded and -endorsed cannabis products are making their way to retail and medical shelves throughout the U.S. Superstars, too, want to sell cannabis to you in Arizona. Phoenix New Times compiled a list of some of the products that made their way to the Valley.
Mike Tyson The former undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion brings Tyson 2.0, a premium cannabis company, to the Valley. Like Iron Mike's knockout combos in the ring, his selection of cannabis products will score high with Arizonans. The champ created a balance of affordable and premium full-spectrum cannabis flowers, concentrates, and consumables. Packets with 3.5 grams of flower and 1 gram pre-rolls in various strains are available at Cannabist in Tempe. Vapes and Mike Bites edibles will be available later this summer.
Mike Bites are ear-shaped gummies that pay homage to when Tyson, aka "The Chomp," bit off part of Evander Holyfield's ear during a heavyweight bout in 1997. Each cannabis-infused treat will have a chunk missing.
Mike Bites cannabis-infused gummy treats
Courtesy of Tyson 2.0
Snoop Dogg The Grammy-nominated G-funk rapper has a line of strains named after him, including Snoop Dogg OG, a 70 percent indica-dominant hybrid strain that "contains genetics from Sour Diesel and Lemon OG," says Leafly.com. "The diesel aroma of Snoop Dogg OG dominates the less prominent lemon notes."
GreenPharms dispensary in Mesa and JARS Cannabis in Phoenix carry Snoop Dogg OG.
"We sell a lot of those [Snoop Dogg-branded] strains, probably a pound or two a day just for those couple strains," Dalyn Oakes from JARS Cannabis added.
Khalifa Kush was named after Wiz Khalifa as it's a hybrid marijuana strain bred specifically for him.
Cre8ive House
Wiz Khalifa The 34-year-old rapper and songwriter has Khalifa Kush named after him as it's a hybrid marijuana strain bred specifically for him, says Leafly.com. "The 'real' Khalifa Kush was originally unavailable to the public but has since been made available in limited amounts through select partners" — including Oasis Cannabis in Chandler and JARS Cannabis in Phoenix.
Cheech & Chong When weed was taboo throughout America in the 1970s-1980s, the comedian-and-actor duo Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong, better known as Cheech & Chong, starred in various comedy movies about smoking lots of marijuana and doing other harder drugs of the era. Now, some of those movies, which were remastered from VHS tapes to DVDs — including Up in Smoke, Nice Dreams, and Still Smokin — are cult classics, even for post-millennial consumers.
Fast forward to May 2022, Nature's Medicines in Arizona launched Tommy Chong's and Cheech & Chong's cannabis lines, including pre-rolled joints, eighths of pre-packed flower, vape cartridges, concentrates, and edibles. Yesca, M.O.M., Love Machine, Labrador, Happy Hippy, and Low Rider are some of the strains they put out in the Valley.
Shavo Odadjian About four years ago, the bassist of heavy metal group System Of A Down founded and launched 22Red, a Los Angeles-based lifestyle brand focused on cannabis, fashion, music, and wellness. Now, the red-colored "22" logo can be seen in "98 percent" of the dispensaries in Arizona, says the company. In addition, its flowers ranked third throughout the Grand Canyon State. In June, Odadjian introduced four of his new concentrates to the Valley.
Val Venís In mid-July, the former WWE professional wrestler was at the Health For Life dispensary in Mesa promoting his Dank Anarchy Cannagars, packed with 3.5 grams of premium Bubba Kush hemp flower, less the 0.3 percent THC (legal hemp), with a whopping 16.1 percent CBD — says the company's social media page. The cannagars are hemp leaf-skinned, medium packed with approximately 45 minutes of burn time, and feature a "very flavorful rich silky smooth smoke."
B-Real Cypress Hill's OG-cannabis rapper has been advocating for the legalization of cannabis for a hot minute. His rap group's track titles from the 1993 Black Sunday album spoke volumes for the '90s weed smokers, including "I Wanna Get High," "Hits from the Bong," and "Legalize It," and the lyrics and accompanying music videos hit even harder. Almost 30 years later, Arizona cannabis usage is fully legit, in fact, it went super mainstream, as B-Real has a Dr. Greenthumb vinyl figure made by the Funko toy company that is sold at Walmarts in the Valley.
There are many other celebrity-owned and -endorsed cannabis brands, but it remains unclear if they have landed in metro Phoenix dispensaries yet, as cannabis laws differ from state to state. Some of the cannabis brands were created and endorsed by actors Seth Rogan and Jaleel White (who played Urkel in Family Matters); actress Whoopi Goldberg; and musicians Doja Cat, Jay-Z, Carlos Santana, and Willie Nelson.
JARS Cannabis has worked with Calvin Johnson, Hall of Fame wide receiver from the Detroit Lions, and his Primitiv brand, and NBA basketball player Al Harrington and his Viola brand. JARS also connected with rap star Benny the Butcher on his Packwoods' pre-packed flower launch.
Oakes from JARS Cannabis said, "We're looking to continue to work with celebrity brands when it makes sense and they have a quality product to offer. It ultimately shouldn't matter whether a product is celebrity-backed or not."
Raul Molina, COO of The Mint, isn't star-struck with the celebrity weed brands just yet. He said, "Some celebrity brands charge a premium for their product. We look at very specific factors when it comes to purchasing, and not all brands make it on our shelves. Everyone wins when the product matches the price, but that is not always the case."
