The Business Of Marketing Marijuana

As marijuana grows into a major industry across the US and Canada, more and more pot-based firms are looking to make an impression on consumers and eventually become the next

. Of course, strict regulations governing the sale of both medical and recreational marijuana have created some barriers for companies looking to draw in customers. However, that hasn't stopped marketers from

.

Celebrity clout is nothing new in the advertising business and marijuana firms are following suit with lines of weed named after iconic superstars. Willie Nelson has his own marijuana brand called Willie's Reserve. The country music singer even released a new single called "It's All Going to Pot" in order to promote it. The family of deceased musician Bob Marley has also teamed up with a marijuana producer to create the Marley Natural brand, based on the reggae star's famed marijuana use.

Many companies are trying to move away from the lazy, ‘stoner' image that marijuana users have typically embodied and market the drug as a safe way for people with anxiety or chronic pain to relax. For one, the firms rarely call the drug ‘marijuana', instead referring to it as cannabis. Medical marijuana firm Tilray produced educational videos hoping to make the drug less of an enigma to the public while Leafly, an online pot database, ran an ad in the New York Times explaining to consumers how different strains could have varying effects on a range of ailments.