There was no formal invitation. I was merely standing in the right place with a handful of celebrities when the blunt was passed to me. When it was my turn, I meticulously held the puffy blunt with a slow burn. I held it to my lips. Slowly inhaled. Exhaled lightly. With a nod, took the second hit and passed it. I moved in slow motion and felt a tickle of euphoria. Before I could take another hit — I was high.
That’s rapper weed. It’s dank. It gets you dumb high. It makes you wonder who’s the weed man and how do rappers always get these majestic and delightful strains? It was stanky. It was potent. I was hazy. I was swirling through the clouds with the stars.
Since 2012, when Washington and Colorado became the first states to legalize recreational use and 2016 in California, the cannabis industry has grown tremendously. As a result, the green rush has attracted all sorts of investors featuring a growing number of musicians, actors, and professional athletes.
Willie Nelson and Tommy Chong were some of the first celebrities to launch the first-ever celebrity cannabis brands — Willie Nelson’s Reserve and Tommy Chong’s Cannabis. Since then, more so in the last five years, other celebrities like Seth Rogen, Jim Belushi, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Bella Thorne and even Jaleel White have announced cannabis investments and introduced their weed strains and products.
So which celebrity brands are the best?
California’s cannabis lifestyle team, CampNova, recently released a list featuring 10 best celebrity weed brands. Curious and wanting to try them, I went on a search. Finding all of the products in one central location was difficult at first, but I looked through CampNova’s menu and as promised they had all of the brands. I also perused through WeedMaps for a few more brands and was even surprised to have found a couple of the brands at a dispensary in West Hollywood.
Here’s what I found —
CampNova’s Best Celebrity Weed Brands
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Fryday Kush by Ice Cube
Fryday Kush is an indica-dominant hybrid that tests at 52 percent cannabinoids. The 1.5g infused pre-roll got me high, high with a case of the munchies. I ate two bags of chips, a candy bar and drank a 2-liter of soda followed by a cozy nap on the couch. When I woke up from my nap, I was still high but felt so relaxed and well-rested. -
Mirayo by Carlos Santana
Smoking Mirayo’s Radiance sativa is energizing and tests at 20 percent. If you like Sour Diesel or Blue Dream strains, Radiance hits the same. After a midday smoke sesh, I cleaned my apartment and went on a leisure two-mile jog. By the tail end of my high, I took a refreshing cool shower and spent the afternoon listening to jazz and writing poetry. -
GAS Cannabis by 2 Chainz GAS Cannabis by 2 Chainz comes in three different gas-inspired octanes — 87, 89 and 93. I tried 98 Peanut Butter Souffle, an indica that tested at 30 percent. I waited until the end of my day to smoke it. After a few pulls of the joint, I fixated on a random Investigation ID episode. I expected to get the munchies and planned to dive into a bowl of Rocky Road post smoke sesh. But instead, I fell asleep until morning.
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Garcia Hand Picked by Jerry Garcia
The thing I love about sativas is how productive I feel after just a few hits of a pre-roll. It also doesn’t take too many puffs to get the creative juices flowing. So when I smoked Chem OG, which tests at 25.38 percent — I was hooked. My favorite of the five-pack of pre-rolls was the custom glass tip. The glass tip made the pre-roll look classier. And although there was a pungent skunky aroma in the air, the glass filters created a barrier that reduced the stank a tad bit. -
Cookies by Berner
Picking one strain of Cookies’ flower line is hard. But I tried Cereal Milk, a balanced 50/50 sativa-indica hybrid that tests at 25 percent. From first inhale to final exhale, Cereal Milk had a sweet fruity cream taste throughout the sesh. More of an early evening or after-work strain it gave me the giggles. I couldn’t keep a straight face and laughed at the silliest things.
6. Monogram by Jay-Z
Monogram’s Loosies No. 88 are packaged in individual glass containers, come in a pack of four and test at 30.9 percent. No. 88 didn’t specify if it was an indica, sativa or hybrid, but read “Medium.” At first pull, I was delighted by its smoothness. Once my high kicked in, I was super focused and chill. After a long workday, I’d typically opt for a stiff drink and sometimes a spliff. But with Monogram in the mix, less is more. I loved toking this in exchange for a strong buzz without the drink to change things up.
7. Cann featuring Gwyneth Paltrow
When it comes to edibles and infused weed beverages, I hesitate. The edible high tends to be too unpredictable. However, Cann is a low-dose — 2 mg of THC and 4 mg of CBD beverage. I tried it at a small gathering with friends who were all drinking. I wasn’t up for a dreaded next-day hangover. So, I rolled a small joint and sipped on a Cann blood orange cardamom. That was all I needed for the rest of the evening. I felt relaxed, happy and at ease.
I’m typically not into hybrids, but Seven Leaves’ Bon Bons, tested at 29 percent, by NBA Champ Matt Barnes gave me a body high like none other. Sore from running five miles through Claremont Wilderness Park Trail, I was looking for something to ease the aches and pains. I sat in a tub full of lavender bubbles and escaped into a happy and euphoric high.
9. GKUA by Lil Wayne
GKUA’s G.O.A.T. indica tested at 26.28 percent. I ground up these thick nugs and rolled a fat joint. It pulled smoothly and had a nice sweet full flavor with earthy tones. After a solo smoke sesh, I felt mad chill. Left to my vices, I played with filters on Snapchat while listening to music.
10. Gary Payton with Cookie Collaboration
Gary Payton’s Cookies 2g blunt comes in an all-natural hemp wrap and glass tip. It’s massive and has an overwhelming gassy smell with citrus layers. It’s the blunt that keeps on giving and tests at 19.85 percent THC with 0.04 percent CBD. An even balanced hybrid experience, I loved that I didn’t smoke it in a single sesh and was in awe at the even and slow burn. The high is long-lasting and far from hazy.
