Roll Him up
Willie Nelson is rolling out his own brand of marijuana — and pot shops too
Texas legend Willie Nelson is launching his own brand of marijuana. During SXSW, the country star slipped the news to the Daily Beast, which now has more details.
The 81-year-old cannabis advocate is working on a strain of marijuana aptly named Willie's Reserve. He also wants to have marijuana products and paraphernalia available in a chain of stores in states where marijuana is legal.
The idea is still in its early stages, but Nelson and his family plan to take an "anti-Walmart" approach, allowing space in the stores for individual growers and suppliers.
"Really, he wants [the business], at the end of the day, to envelop what his personal morals and convictions are," Michael Bowman, spokesperson for Willie's Reserve, tells Daily Beast's James Joiner. "So from the store itself to how they'll work with suppliers and how things are operated, it's going to be very reflective of Willie's life."
Although the Lone Star State is still a drug-free zone, Nelson's weed-based business could take off in legal markets such as Colorado, Alaska and Washington. The potential is speculative, but one thing is for certain: Nelson and his family are taking a stand for weed legalization in a unique way.
"Willie has spent a lifetime in support of cannabis, both the industrial hemp side and the marijuana side. He wants [Willie's Reserve] to be something that's reflective of his passion," Bowman says.
"The marijuana world is about to get its first connoisseur brand, edging it farther from an illegal substance and closer to the realm of fine wines," Joiner writes. Read the full interview here.