The Marley family estate announced today the creation of “Marley Natural”, a global cannabis brand that will offer “heirloom Jamaican cannabis strains inspired by those Bob Marley enjoyed.”  The brand, will also produce and market cannabis and hemp-infused topicals such as sun-repair creams and lotions containing Jamaican botanicals, the family said in a statement. 

Cedella Marley, head of the family estate, said her father would have been happy to see the growing recognition and acceptance of marijuana worldwide. Bob Marley who brought reggae mainstream, embraced marijuana as a converted Rastafarian and advocated legalization of the plant, which he called “herb.”  “It make you stimulate your mind, and make you sit down and meditate,” he once told an interviewer. “Instead a get foolish, you sit down and you can meditate and be someone. Rum teach to you be a drunkard, and herb teach you to be someone.”

The venture has received multi-million dollar backing from Privateer Holdings, a Seattle-based private equity firm focused on legal cannabis. Its portfolio includes Leafly.com, a leading consumer site that works much like Yelp, listing and reviewing cannabis dispensaries and marijuana strains.  “What appealed to us was the global reach of the Marley brand,” said Brendan Kennedy, chief executive of Privateer.

The legal cannabis industry in the U.S. is estimated to be worth over $2 billion, but no brand has emerged as a clear national leader.  Cannabis is only available in 23 states and Washington D.C., as federal law still considers it illegal.  As such, creating a national distribution system for products is constrained by laws preventing cross-state transportation.  The company hopes to capitalize on Marley’s 74 million Facebook fans around the world.

See full story here: http://www.latimes.com/la-fi-20141118-bob-marley-marijuana-story.html