In honor of this “hashish holiday,” HuffPost asked weed experts in the business of bud which celebs should be on “the Mount Rushmore of Marijuana.”
As you might expect, there were many familiar names, but one loomed larger than others: Snoop Dogg.
The reasoning is simple, according to Caitlyn Smith, senior marketing manager for the Planet 13 chain of dispensaries.
“He has maintained his cannabis lifestyle for decades and has been a champion spokesperson on normalizing the use of cannabis,” Smith told HuffPost.
Though Snoop Dogg was the No. 1 name mentioned, there were others who were almost as popular with cannabis insiders.
Another name that popped up is country music cannabis legend Willie Nelson.
Marlon Coburn, the CEO of THC Design, a Los Angeles-based cannabis cultivator, said Nelson should be on the list because he stands out as an “icon” among aficionados.
“His outspoken support for legalization and his role in advancing cannabis reform have earned him a revered status among enthusiasts,” Coburn told HuffPost.
Many of the people questioned about marijuana’s Mount Rushmore also mentioned reggae legend Bob Marley, whose love of cannabis was heavily depicted in the movie “Bob Marley: One Love,” released earlier this year.
Jesse Ezekiel Tolz of The Travel Agency, a New York City cannabis store, says Marley deserves the honor because he was “an extremely impactful individual who was a phenomenal artist and an advocate for cannabis.”
Ali Garawi, the CEO of Muha Meds, a Los Angeles vape company, thinks stoner comedians Cheech and Chong deserve to be on marijuana’s Mount Rushmore ― and not just because they ”popularized cannabis culture through their comedy and films.”
Garawi said that the comic duo did play a foundational role in pot pop culture but singles out Tommy Chong “for being a vocal advocate for cannabis rights and medicinal use.”
Martha Stewart was cited by a couple of people, and a few mentioned Rihanna.
The reason for Rihanna is simple, according to Janelle Mucci, general manager of RoadTrip Dispensary in Salisbury, Massachusetts. “She can hold her own up there.”
Woody Harrelson was also a contender, as was Seth Rogan, whom Jimmy Kimmel chose as one of his own Mount Rushmore picks a few months back.
But not every person in the indica industry is high on putting celebrities on the marijuana Mount Rushmore.
Olivia Alexander, founder and CEO of Kush Queen, says “celebrities are puppets and do not contribute to the industry, they pillage it,” and ”exploit the plant for money and profit.”
She added: “Cannabis consumers do not care about celebrity weed because they know they don’t grow it. Cannabis is unique in that sense; people want to buy it from people who really know the plant or are actually a part of the community.”
To that end, Robert Holland, founder of Tempo Crackers, a cannabis snack product, would rather that a marijuana Mount Rushmore honor Mary Jay Rathbun.
“She’s an early cannabis advocate best known for baking and distributing pot brownies to AIDS patients in San Francisco during the early stages of the HIV epidemic,” Holland explained.
Anna Walters, the co-founder of the Breez cannabis brand, perhaps noting how Founding father George Washington grew hemp at Mount Vernon, jokes that she’d probably “pick the same guys as on the regular Mt. Rushmore!”
Derek Chase, the president of Flora + Bast, a cannabis wellness brand, admits his marijuana Mount Rushmore doesn’t include sentient beings.
“No humans! I’d rather see a sun, a moon and Earth!”
