Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
When it comes to marijuana, Wiz Khalifa takes the high road.
Since 2005, “Wiz Khalifa” has been former Taylor Allderdice student Cameron Jibril Thomaz’s stage name, and that’s about the only thing that hasn’t changed for the mind behind songs like 2010’s “Black and Yellow,” which became an unofficial anthem for Pittsburgh.
Since then, his career has spanned not only a number of changes in the music industry, where streaming songs now reigns supreme over the album, but also a 180-degree shift in the world of marijuana legalization, where even conservative states like Pennsylvania are turning to the plant for medical solutions.
“I’ve seen a lot of people who before might have been scared of it,” Khalifa said during a talk called “High Road” at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland during the Thrival Innovation Festival. “But now there are situations where they might need it ... it just lets me know where we’re moving forward with it.”
Khalifa has been sowing the seeds for his own business since marijuana has gained popularity on the West Coast and moved into the medical sphere elsewhere in the U.S.
Last year, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill to legalize medical marijuana for a restricted number of conditions in Pennsylvania and a few weeks ago Pittsburgh City Council began work on establishing a zoning code to delineate where growers and processors may conduct business in the city.
Medical marijuana should be available in the state by next spring. That seems promising to Khalifa, who shared a story Thursday night about his acting coach.
“I was with my acting coach the other day, and she was in a car accident, and she said she wouldn’t have been able to make it through her day if it wasn’t for CBDs,” said Khalifa, referring to Cannabinoid, the part of the plant that helps to regulate health without the psychoactive components of the plant, called Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.
“She said she was on painkillers and prescription painkillers that she got herself off of ... it actually does help better than pills,” he said.
Khalifa is a longtime proponent of marijuana, as made evident through not only his lyrics and album titles (see the “Kush & Orange Juice” mixtape, circa 2010 and “Rolling Papers” the year after), but also his apparel, which turned heads at Wednesday’s Pirates game where he threw out the first pitch.
For the baseball moment, he wore a simple white T-shirt with 10 green letters on it that spelled out “Legalize It.”
“I see it being like alcohol ... but more accessible for people,” Khalifa said. “There’s different ways of getting it that’s not just the flower ... there’s oils, vapes.”
In 2016, the rapper-actor-gone-entrepreneur invested in his own strain of marijuana, branding the flower itself and its THC concentrates as “Khalifa Kush.” He initially sold a series of herb, wax vaporizers and salves in California and Colorado, and has since expanded into Nevada and Arizona, according to the brand’s website.
“KK was just something that I was interested in, being that I smoke as much as I do ... I wanted people to have an experience that was like mine and I was really passionate about just bringing out a product that’s accessible to everyone,” Khalifa said on Thursday. “My goal was to make it more than just my favorite pot to smoke.”
Earlier this year, he also launched an app called Wiz Khalifa’s Weed Farm. The game, which rolled out in April, allows users to plant, grow and harvest marijunana, branding the final product afterward.
It’s like Farmville, but with a marketing edge. And weed.
Khalifa, who will play his only hometown show of the year on Saturday at Carrie Furnaces as a headlining act for Thrival, said he’s seen a societal shift in Pittsburgh.
“I have noticed a change in the city and I love it. It just makes me think that there’s way more hope for younger people who live here and the fact that they have options to do things that are going to catapult them into the future.
“We’re sitting here talking about weed in Pittsburgh, which is amazing. It’s awesome.”
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Wiz Khalifa talks frankly about medical marijuana at Thrival Innovation Festival | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Author: Courtney Linder
Contact: Home | Portal
Photo Credit: Courtney Linder
Website: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Local, National & World News
Since 2005, “Wiz Khalifa” has been former Taylor Allderdice student Cameron Jibril Thomaz’s stage name, and that’s about the only thing that hasn’t changed for the mind behind songs like 2010’s “Black and Yellow,” which became an unofficial anthem for Pittsburgh.
Since then, his career has spanned not only a number of changes in the music industry, where streaming songs now reigns supreme over the album, but also a 180-degree shift in the world of marijuana legalization, where even conservative states like Pennsylvania are turning to the plant for medical solutions.
“I’ve seen a lot of people who before might have been scared of it,” Khalifa said during a talk called “High Road” at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland during the Thrival Innovation Festival. “But now there are situations where they might need it ... it just lets me know where we’re moving forward with it.”
Khalifa has been sowing the seeds for his own business since marijuana has gained popularity on the West Coast and moved into the medical sphere elsewhere in the U.S.
Last year, Gov. Tom Wolf signed a bill to legalize medical marijuana for a restricted number of conditions in Pennsylvania and a few weeks ago Pittsburgh City Council began work on establishing a zoning code to delineate where growers and processors may conduct business in the city.
Medical marijuana should be available in the state by next spring. That seems promising to Khalifa, who shared a story Thursday night about his acting coach.
“I was with my acting coach the other day, and she was in a car accident, and she said she wouldn’t have been able to make it through her day if it wasn’t for CBDs,” said Khalifa, referring to Cannabinoid, the part of the plant that helps to regulate health without the psychoactive components of the plant, called Tetrahydrocannabinol or THC.
“She said she was on painkillers and prescription painkillers that she got herself off of ... it actually does help better than pills,” he said.
Khalifa is a longtime proponent of marijuana, as made evident through not only his lyrics and album titles (see the “Kush & Orange Juice” mixtape, circa 2010 and “Rolling Papers” the year after), but also his apparel, which turned heads at Wednesday’s Pirates game where he threw out the first pitch.
For the baseball moment, he wore a simple white T-shirt with 10 green letters on it that spelled out “Legalize It.”
“I see it being like alcohol ... but more accessible for people,” Khalifa said. “There’s different ways of getting it that’s not just the flower ... there’s oils, vapes.”
In 2016, the rapper-actor-gone-entrepreneur invested in his own strain of marijuana, branding the flower itself and its THC concentrates as “Khalifa Kush.” He initially sold a series of herb, wax vaporizers and salves in California and Colorado, and has since expanded into Nevada and Arizona, according to the brand’s website.
“KK was just something that I was interested in, being that I smoke as much as I do ... I wanted people to have an experience that was like mine and I was really passionate about just bringing out a product that’s accessible to everyone,” Khalifa said on Thursday. “My goal was to make it more than just my favorite pot to smoke.”
Earlier this year, he also launched an app called Wiz Khalifa’s Weed Farm. The game, which rolled out in April, allows users to plant, grow and harvest marijunana, branding the final product afterward.
It’s like Farmville, but with a marketing edge. And weed.
Khalifa, who will play his only hometown show of the year on Saturday at Carrie Furnaces as a headlining act for Thrival, said he’s seen a societal shift in Pittsburgh.
“I have noticed a change in the city and I love it. It just makes me think that there’s way more hope for younger people who live here and the fact that they have options to do things that are going to catapult them into the future.
“We’re sitting here talking about weed in Pittsburgh, which is amazing. It’s awesome.”
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Wiz Khalifa talks frankly about medical marijuana at Thrival Innovation Festival | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Author: Courtney Linder
Contact: Home | Portal
Photo Credit: Courtney Linder
Website: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette | Local, National & World News
