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Willie Nelson plans to create the Whole Foods of legalized pot

Published Mar 26th, 2015 4:45PM EDT
Willie Nelson Marijuana Stores

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Country legend Willie Nelson has been a staunch advocate of legalizing pot for years and now that it’s legal to sell in three states, he’s going to start his own business that his publicist says will be like the Whole Foods of marijuana. 

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In an interview with The Daily Beast,  Michael Bowman, a veteran pot lobbyist who has been brought on as the spokesman for Nelson’s new marijuana brand, explains how Nelson wants to set some standards for growing and selling weed to ensure both quality for smokers and to ensure that more weed is grown in an environmentally friendly way.

“I think it’s safe to say that there will be stores that roll out in the states where marijuana has become legal,” Bowman explains. “There will be our own, and then there will be opportunities for other growers, who meet quality standards. Let’s just call it the anti-Walmart model… A certain standard by which growers have to account for carbon and such, in a way that empowers small growers who are doing the right thing. It will be like when you walk into a Whole Foods store. Whole Foods has their 365 brand, or you can buy Stony Brook, or you can buy Horizon.”

Bowman goes on to say that the first stores that will sell Willie’s Reserve-branded marijuana are likely to open within the next calendar year in Colorado, Washington and Alaska.

Check out Bowman’s full interview with The Daily Beast by clicking here.

Brad Reed
Brad Reed Staff Writer

Brad Reed has written about technology for over eight years at BGR.com and Network World. Prior to that, he wrote freelance stories for political publications such as AlterNet and the American Prospect. He has a Master's Degree in Business and Economics Journalism from Boston University.