More and more companies are trying to cash in on celebrity’s names that are popular among marijuana consumers. Tommy Chong has been using his name to promote marijuana products. Privateer Holdings previously announced that it would be rolling out a line of marijuana products using Bob Marley’s name. Willie Nelson has a line of marijuana coming out called ‘Willie’s Reserve.’ Now a Canadian company wants to follow suit with a line of marijuana products bearing Jimi Hendrix’s name. Per Marijuana Business Daily:
Toronto-based Nutritional High intends to manufacture marijuana and hemp-based edibles – including hard candies and health and energy drinks – bearing the name of legendary rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix, according to a report by CNNMoney.
But the business plan could hit a legal snag, according to a report on Ultimateclassicrock.com.
Experience Hendrix, the musician’s official estate, isn’t involved in the deal and may take legal action against Purple Haze Properties, which licensed the rights to Hendrix’s name to Nutritional High. Purple Haze was founded by Hendrix’s brother, but the estate is under the control of his adopted sister.
Like I’ve said about other celebrity-named marijuana products – they better be amazing. As a consumer, I hold a product to a higher standard if it has a celebrity name attached to it. I look at attempts to market a marijuana product using a popular celebrity name as a marketing ploy, and therefore it better be so good that it makes me look past the name. A marijuana sales tactic that is as old as time is to attach a catchy name to a strain of marijuana in order to help it sell better. This is usually the case with a subpar product, because after all, if it was able to fly off the shelves based off quality alone, a strain or line of products wouldn’t need a celebrity name attached to it in the first place.
