Following in the steps of Bob Marley’s estate, legendary Austinite and beloved musician Willie Nelson plans to launch what he called the “Whole Foods” of marijuana distributors.
“It will be like when you walk into a Whole Foods store,” a publicist familiar with Willie’s plans told The Daily Beast. “Whole Foods has their 365 brand, or you can buy Stony Brook, or you can buy Horizon… It’ll all fall under that umbrella of ‘here’s our core beliefs, and here’s our mission statement,’ and they will be a part of that, to be a part of us.”
The whole notion that Nelson’s pot distribution company would be like Whole Foods came in response to a question about whether he would distribute just his own strains of marijuana, or carry other growers’ products. He said the business would function on “the anti-Walmart model,” and would mandate that growers meet certain quality standards — including Willie’s preferences on carbon emissions.
Oh, and much like Bob Marley’s family, Nelson is supposedly launching his own strain: Willie’s Reserve. Of course, you won’t be able to (legally) buy Willie’s weed here in Austin — at least, not yet — but there are 10 bills milling about the Texas legislature this session that would reform the state’s cannabis laws in one way or another. However, keen observers of the drug war caution against folks holding their breath (no pun intended) for this to happen in Texas any time soon.
“I think industrial hemp will probably come first [in Texas],” Jake Syma, a spokesperson for Hub City NORML, told MyFoxLubbock earlier this month. [A]ctually a lot of conservative states like Kentucky for example has passed industrial hemp legislation and has even grown and harvested its first crop.”
So, all you herbal enthusiasts in Colorado, Oregon, Alaska, and Washington, D.C. — say hi to Willie for us.
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Photo: Flickr user joshbg2k, creative commons licensed.
