There is no shortage of celebrities willing to endorse a notable cannabis brand these days. Hell, even Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman partnered with Sera Labs on a CBD-infused skincare line. Weed is definitely cool, but it’s also one of the best ways to make money right now. In 2021, marijuana sales reached nearly $27 billion with estimates for 2022 sales coming in at around $32 billion. However, marijuana is a plant and primarily it’s used to help people these days. That is to say, it’s more important than ever to highlight the issues associated with cannabis and social justice reform. Yet many of the celebrities who’ve emerged as outspoken brand ambassadors are mostly collecting a paycheck.
You can identify a celebrity cannabis stan by their willingness to highlight issues like social justice reform and federal legalization. While we love celebs who smoke for fun, today we’re highlighting marijuana’s real heroes: celebrities who’ve used their fame to become marijuana activists. They remind us that getting stoned is awesome, but there’s more to it than getting high. Since 1980, Americans incarcerated for drug offenses have skyrocketed from 40,900 to 430,926 in 2019. In short, we have to do better and these stars are leading the way for the cause. Keep reading to find out who they are and what they’re doing to normalize and legalize weed.
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celeb cannabis activists
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Chelsea Handler
Chelsea Handler's known for telling it like it is, so when she got reintroduced to weed and its healing effects, she knew she had to tell people.
Part of that journey includes her cannabis activism. In 2018 she let her Netflix show to focus on her activism which includes cannabis, issues around racism, white privilege, and female representation in politics, as well as refugee integration.
To learn more about the work Chelsea's doing as a marijuana activist, check out this Time Magazine article she helmed.
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Willie Nelson
Next, there's icon Willie Nelson. Willie's an outspoken OG celebrity cannabis activist who's supported the federal legalization of the plant since well before we were smoking.
He believes that he's a great example of the benefits of smoking ganja, as well as its overall benefits for wellness. m
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Seth Rogen
Sure, Seth's marijuana-related celebrity is rooted in stoner comedy roles like that in Pineapple Express. However, Seth's dedication the social justice reform of marijuana users makes him a cannabis stan.
Not only that, he's also a long-time member of NORML (the oldest and largest marijuana legalization organization). Additionally, he's completed PSAs for National Expungement Week, dedicated to helping to expunge the records of people with non-violent drug offenses. However, he does have his own brand of weed, Houseplant, which he runs with his friend and co-founder Evan Goldberg.
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Jack Nicholson
One of the main parts of being an activist is speaking up on an issue before it is chic.
Although Nicholson has never campaigned on cannabis-related issues, he did spit mad facts to the Daily Mail in 2011 on the topic.
Saying, "I don't tend to say this publicly, but we can see it's [marijuana] a curative thing. More than 85% of men incarcerated in America are on drug-related offenses. It costs $40,000 a year for every prisoner. If they were really serious about the economy, there would be a sensible discussion about legalization."
And he did that without ever having made a penny from the industry. Jack made his money the old-fashioned way... acting.
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Melissa Etheridge
Meanwhile, like many people, Melissa Etheridge turned to marijuana to help ease her side effects from a 2004 diagnosis of breast cancer.
This experience made her a cannabis evangelist and even sparked her desire to start Etheridge Farms, a 420 brand most famous for its marijuana-infused wine.
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Montel Williams
In 1999, Montel Williams was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. Typical treatment for his neuropathic pain was not working. Therefore, out of desperation, he began using medical marijuana on the recommendation of a physician.
Since then, Williams worked tirelessly for the reform of cannabis laws. In addition, for the last 20 years, he's helped to pass medical cannabis legislation in New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Connecticut.
But that's not all. The former talk show host is also pushing for federal cannabis reform and for reform in states where they have no medical cannabis programs.
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Pete Davidson
While Pete is currently most famous for being Kim Kardashian's boy toy, he's so much more than that. The comedian, writer, and actor is actually a face of medical mota, which he uses to treat Crohn’s Disease.
Pete's publicly stated how much cannabis relieves his chronic stomach issues and pain associated with Chron's. Additionally, it increases his appetite.
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Woody Harrelson
Woody Harrelson is now a board member of NORML, but before he was a tried and true cannabis activist, he was arrested on June 1, 1996, for planting hemp seeds in Kentucky.
The move was a symbolic one to point out the differences between the hemp and marijuana plants, but put his cannabis use into the spotlight.
Since then, he's helped to normalize both the use of hemp and marijuana, including the distinction between both.
