Ten-time Grammy Award winner John Legend, who's long opposed the War on Drugs, has announced a partnership with California edibles company PLUS Products on its new line of hemp-CBD infused gummies.
“I've been a believer in the benefits of CBD for some time,” he stated on September 17. “I was drawn to the PLUS team because they're an innovative, family-run company and they use science to deliver a consistent, high-quality product. I appreciate that they're committed to setting a high standard within an industry that has to date been fairly unregulated.”
The three products - Balance (blueberry flavor, 14 pieces, 50 mg each), Uplift (grapefruit, 14 pieces, 50 mg each, plus Vitamn B) and Sleep (blackberry tea flavor, 14 pieces, 25 mg each, plus 1 mg melatonin), all for $35 - are avaialble for sale at the company's website.
“I've been a believer in the benefits of CBD for some time."
It's being reported that Legend has invested in the company, though that was not specifically mentioned in the press release, which described it as a "brand partnership."
As far back as 2013, Legend has been calling for the end of marijuana prohibition: "We need to legalize marijuana. There's no good reason to continue prohibition. And we need to consider ending prohibition in general… The government's never been good at prohibition. It's never been effective. Ask people back in the 1920s if it worked with alcohol. It's never worked with any drugs. We just spent a lot of money, locked a lot of people up, destroyed a lot of communities and we haven't solved any problems... It's really been a war on poor people, particularly a war on black people. It has not successfully reduced drug use at all."
Legend joins fellow mega music star Jay Z who partnered with Caliva in July. More than two dozen musicians and athletes have created their own celebrity cannabis brands since states stated legalizing marijuana in 2012.
CBD, a non-intoxicating chemical in cannabis, has caught on with the industry and the public over the last few years. While hemp is now federally legal, CBD technically is not. One CBD medication, Epidiolex, has been approved by the FDA for use by patients suffering from seizures.
