Last year, cannabis sales (for both legal and the not-so-legal) amounted to an estimated $50 billion in the U.S. alone.
Canada is catching up, having made $32 million in the first couple of weeks it legalized weed.
As more U.S. states vote to legalize recreational pot (there are now 10), we can expect these sales to jump even higher. Especially with many of today’s oh-so-famous faces being cannabis users. And yes, your favorite Black Widow Avenger is one of them.
But it’s not only Hollywood stars who smoke and even advocate weed use. There are as many, if not more, famous musicians who like their greens and even sing about it. Some of them even attribute their success to pot.
So, who are they? Again, there’s a lot, but we’ve listed 10 you should know of (and would want to listen to!).
1. Louis Armstrong
The most famous jazz musician ever, Louis Armstrong has a lot of quotable quotes about pot. That’s despite weed landing him in jail for a brief time. He talked about how he appreciated weed and the “warmth it always brought forth from the other person”.
Louis Armstrong likely couldn’t have written and sang “What a Wonderful World” if not for weed. The first line of the song alone — “I see trees of green” — should already give you an idea. But if you want to go all scientific about cannabis and music, Planet 13 has a detailed post about that.
2. Keith Richards
We have to hand it to the Rolling Stones. Imagine, even with their average member’s age being 73, they’re still rocking it out on stage. They’re having fun and making about $10 million for each show.
Cannabis’ purported health benefits may or may not have something to do with their ripe old age. But their genius guitarist Keith Richards, now 75, still enjoys a joint for breakfast. He’s also the co-main songwriter and co-founder of this incredible rock band.
3. Mick Jagger
Keith Richards isn’t the only Rolling Stone member who dabbled with weed — so did lead singer Mick Jagger. He’s 75 years old and still showing all other front men out there who’s boss.
4. Jimi Hendrix
If you want some solid marijuana music experience, listen to Jimi Hendrix. That psychedelic guitar playing can make anyone want to learn how to shred strings too. His raw talent also made him one of the world’s most influential electric guitar players.
Sadly, cannabis wasn’t only Hendrix’ pastime. He did a lot of deadly drugs, and his death came after overdosing on barbiturates.
Musicians and tokers will forever remember him though. Especially with the master guitarist having a strain named after him. And yes, the strain’s name is none other than “Jimi Hendrix.”
5. Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is one of the most famous folk and country singers who smoke weed and isn’t afraid to sing about it. We can likely take one of his earliest hits, “Everybody Must Get Stoned”, a testament to that.
If not, then him saying pot isn’t a drug and more of a slight mind-bender should be proof enough. He even admitted he believes everybody’s minds need a little bending once in a while, which is probably why he turned the Beatles on to pot.
6. Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler may not be the best frontman (since Mick Jagger holds on to that title) but he’s still one of the best. As the Aerosmith’s lead vocals, Tyler is a multi-talented artist, pianist, and percussionist. He also has a thing for harmonica and judging on American Idol.
He’s quite open when it comes to his (and his bandmates’) pot use, as he was in a recent James Corden interview. During the interview, he mentioned that their songs came from getting high on weed.
7. Bob Marley
Did you know that Jamaica is the only country where marijuana is legal for religious use? It took them a long time to legalize it though, having only decriminalized weed in 2015. But Rastafarians have long since used it not only for religion but medicine too.
And when talk comes to Rastafarians, there’s no other person more famous than Bob Marley. He wrote so many songs about Ganja, which is cannabis to him and his people. There’s “Kaya”, “Ganja Gun”, and “Pass the Marijuana” to name a few.
8. Willie Nelson
Iconic country singer Willie Nelson loves his weed and is a huge cannabis advocate. His country music accomplishments rival his contributions to the toke-loving community. He’s a co-chairman of NORML, a non-profit that supports marijuana legalization.
Like Hendrix, Nelson also has a specific marijuana strain named after him. He does much of his advocating through his cannabis company, Willie’s Reserve.
9. John Legend
Multi-Grammy award winner John Legend is a huge cannabis supporter and is very open about it. We all love him for that, especially since he uses his amazing voice to advocate. Even Smithsonian Magazine raves about him, naming him America’s Most Versatile Artist.
He has several songs that you may want to listen to when you’re toked up, starting with “Let’s Get Lifted” and “So High”.
10. Snoop Dogg
This list won’t be complete with Snoop Dogg, the American rapper, singer, and producer. Yes, he’s the one who keeps telling folks to “smoke weed every day”. Turns out, he was right all along, and many scientific studies continue to support his claims.
Get High with These Famous Musicians in Loop
There are many other famous musicians who like to light up, but these 10 are no doubt the most noteworthy. But so you know, Madonna, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, and Rihanna also love their joints. Even Jennifer Lawrence, who can also belt out tunes, smokes weed (but perhaps not every day).
So, if you’d like some legit marijuana music to get you stoked, play these musicians’ tracks on loop. You never know: listening to them may even help boost your creativity in making music.
Unsure if cannabis is already legal from where you come from? Then be sure to check out our definitive guide on where it’s legal!