Well as you may know, American pop stars are diversifying their portfolios with weed agronomy, with celebs putting their names, reputations and cash where their pot mouths are. A new fraternity of actors, musicians and athletes is rising to endorser ranking like Marley, Tosh, Banton and the Ganja Planter himself, Marlon Asher. Shifting legalization in the US is affording degrees of economic legitimacy and consumer confidence that are moving marijuana towards mainstream profits backed by star power.
 
The opportunity is glaring with the weed market set to explode as legalization in many countries Caribbean and otherwise continues. What the potential for the Caribbean? Former Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson’s California-based branding and licensing company, Tyson Ranch, is set to expand its operations with a weed theme park in Antigua & Barbuda. With new laws and welcoming administration, the territory is attracting more foreign investors to its corner.
 
Hip-hop icons Jay-z recently dropped US$50M into one of the largest SPACs (Special Purpose Acquisition Company) in the competitive California cannabis industry. The superstar and social activist is the company’s Chief Visionary Officer and has put his hard-hitting brand and business savvy behind products ranging from:

• paraphernalia and pre-rolls
• to lozenges,
• gummies and
• body butter.

Even Martha Stewart has launched a new line of CBD products and joins her hoss, Snoop Dogg, in pushing level weed.
 
Stalwarts like Carlos Santana and Willy Nelson are investing. Can the next big ‘spliff’ be a Caribbean investor branded weed by Beenie Man, Machel or Allison Hinds? The glamorous tension between cannabis and creativity is as old as pop culture itself, which has always smoldered with the draw of artistic freedom and notoriety. But today, cannabis is infused with celebrity in the bong of big business.
 
Flowing in the other direction on the value chain, Jamaica’s Marley clan has licensed their family name to at least one Californian company boasting conscious farming practices. Many foreign brands borrow even more of our Caribbean identity. The appropriation of the ice, green and gold colours associated with the Rastafarian movement is a prime example.
 
Celebrity power packs a powerful punch. It’s time to come out swinging.