Recreational Marijuana Creates New Opportunities for Business Partnerships

The legalization of recreational marijuana sales in California has presented many business opportunities for cannabis entrepreneurs. Now, entrepreneurs from other industries are teaming up with the cannabis industry to offer unique – and potentially profitable – pairings. Learn more about the creative ways in which other industries are finding ways to tap into the marijuana market.

Food and Beverage

The Los Angeles Times reports that Lagunitas Brewing Co. has released a “SuperCritical Ale” – a hoppy brew made with hops and cannabis. It contains no THC (the psychoactive chemical in cannabis). This brew venture is part of a larger working relationship between Lagunitas and CannaCraft, Inc. CannaCraft provided the terpenes used in the SuperCritical Ale. In turn, Lagunitas is assisting CannaCraft in the development of new vaping products for it line of cannabis extracts, with its brewers provide guidance on obtaining a beer-like aroma for the products.

The Entertainment Industry

According to Business Insider, Netflix is also looking to capitalize on marijuana through marketing tie-ins. To promote its new weed-themed show “Disjointed”, Netflix teamed with a West Hollywood medical marijuana dispensary to distribute strains of cannabis named after its various shows. Variety reports that visitors to the pop-up store could select such strains as Camp Firewood (for “Wet Hot American Summer: Ten Years Later”); Banana Stand Kush (from “Arrested Development”); Prickly Muffin (from “Bojack Horseman”); Vodkush (from “Chelsea”); Peyotea 73 (in honor of  “Grace and Frankie”); Sassafrass OG (from “Lady Dynamite”); Baka Bile (for “Santa Clarita Diet”); Poussey Riot (for “Orange is the New Black”) and Moon 13 (in honor of “Mystery Science Theater 3000”).  “Disjointed” inspired three strains: the Omega Strain; Eve’s Bush; and Rutherford B. Haze.

Product Placement

One Hollywood marketing professional is working to use her industry insider experience to bring a different image of cannabis users to film and TV. The Huffington Post reports that Cheryl Shuman started as a props specialist focused on sunglasses. Both the Ray Bans worn by Tom Cruise in “Risky Business” and the Gargoyles worn by Arnold Schwarzenegger in “Terminator” were Shuman’s selections. Both styles sold in droves after Shuman put them on film. Now, she works as a marketing and public relations consultant based in Los Angeles. Shuman began using marijuana medically in the mid-1990s after being diagnosed with cancer. Now, with her public relations expertise, she wants to change the image of the “High Times generation that came with their pot leafs and all that”. Shuman envisions a rebranding of marijuana culture in a way that contrasts with the old “druggie loser” motif. She predicts cannabis will be a big business. “Imagine marijuana on QVC.”

Cheech Marin, the beloved comedian famous for his portrayal of a classic “druggie” marijuana user, expresses the same hope for the rebranding of cannabis culture. He hopes that in one hundred years, the Cheech and Chong name will be recognized, but that the image will be too exaggerated and over-the-top to ever have been considered real.

The legalization of recreational marijuana presents many exciting business opportunities, pairings, ventures, and other collaborations. Contact an experienced Los Angeles cannabis business planning lawyer to ensure that your cannabis business ventures are executed as smoothly as possible.

The Los Angeles Cannabis Law Group represents growers, dispensaries, collectives, patients and those facing marijuana charges. Call us at 949-375-4734.

Additional Resources:

Lagunitas rolls out a cannabis beer, August 24, 2017, by Bill Swindell, the Los Angeles Times

More Blog Entries:

California Vineyards Entering Marijuana Business, June 4 2017, by Cannabis Law Group