Rapper and marijuana entrepreneur Snoop Dogg continued his quest to become regarded as the Johnny Appleseed (or maybe make that Stems-and-Seeds) of cannabis for future generations by offering a benediction to the good people of Colorado following that state’s inaugural cannabis tax holiday on Sept. 16, 2015.
In his public service announcement, Snoop said, “What up, Colorado, it’s your boy big Snoop Dogg, and I wanna send a special shout-out to all of my fans and friends and everyone from Colorado for being one of the first states in our great country to pave the way for legalizing medical and recreational marijuana. In honor of it being an incredible year for the movement, I would like to wish you a happy tax holiday this September 16th. I love seeing the positive impact of cannabis business in your beautiful state. The job creation for so many people, crime dropping for safer neighborhoods, and raising to date over 100 million dollars in tax revenue for the state and education. As we celebrate this special, one time holiday, let’s stay safe and be responsible. And for those of you from out of state, remember, that recreational use is for 21 and over. Have fun today and go green, happy tax holiday.”
Snoop’s mention of job creation, the drop in the crime rate, and tax revenue raised, as well as his call for responsible and legal consumption, belie his status as a cannabis fan with millions of dollars invested in various legal businesses related to the pot trade. His Casa Verde Capital investment firm was founded specifically to fund businesses devoted to meeting marijuana supply and demand, including Eaze, which has been described as an Uber-style marijuana delivery service.
Snoop announced a new website last week at TechCrunch Disrupt, an annual conference—which is apparently a real thing in the real world and not something invented for the first season climax of “Silicon Valley”—devoted to connecting cutting-edge Internet startups with interested investors. The site, which is called Merry Jane, seems similar to Gwyneth Paltrow’s Goop lifestyle brand, and will cover a huge range of topics of interest to marijuana aficionados including instructions on how to cook homemade edibles, a series dedicated to people sharing tales of their first experience with cannabis, and editorial content focused on business and politics effecting marijuana consumers and providers.
According to the Westword interview with Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and his Director of Marijuana Coordination Andrew Freedman, the tax holiday was necessitated by complicated legal and tax issues, specifically “because we [the state’s Blue Book] underestimated our non-marijuana tax revenue.”
Despite the fact that marijuana was maybe more fun when it was associated more with corn chips and Adult Swim than tax code, Colorado residents seem to have heeded Snoop and behaved themselves admirably.
