God bless Willie Nelson. I say that as a non-religious person and yet I mean it whole-heartedly. He’s a great musician with a penchant for smoking some strong bud – a hobby he takes so seriously, that he’s ready to branch out in his career and will be launching his own brand of weed called Willie’s Reserve. The Daily Beast got the scoop on the 81-year-old’s marijuana business by chatting with Michael Bowman, a pot lobbyist who also seems to be the PR spokesperson for the brand as it stands.
So what exactly is Willie’s Reserve?
Well, you know, Willie has spent a lifetime in support of cannabis, both the industrial hemp side and the marijuana side. He wants it to be something that’s reflective of his passion. Ultimately, it’s his. But it was developed by his family, and their focus on environmental and social issues, and in particular this crazy war on drugs, and trying to be a bright light amongst this trail as we’re trying to extract ourselves from the goo of prohibition.
Really he wants it, at the end of the day, to envelop what his personal morals and convictions are. 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.
So will there be signature strains that you grow under Willie’s oversight? Or will you sell other people’s strains?
It’ll be both. There will be our own, and then there will be opportunities for other growers, who meet quality standards. Let’s just call it the anti-Walmart model. Personally, internally, that’s what we call it. A certain standard by which growers have to account for carbon and such, in a way that empowers small growers who are doing the right thing.
This thing goes on and on, and if you care about Willie Nelson and/or weed, you might want to give the entire article a read. Personally, I think this is hilarious, fitting, and also potentially incredibly lucrative. Weed – particularly in states where it’s legalized – generates SO much money, so Willie could be rolling in it. They plan to launch within the next calendar year, so keep your eyes peeled.