David Crosby discusses Cannabis and licensing his name.

---

David Crosby – iconic founding member of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young (CSNY) and The Byrds answers questions about licensing his iconic name in the cannabis industry. 

• On why he’s licensing his name in the cannabis industry…

“I’m getting in it for a couple of reasons. First, because people have been asking me to do this forever - and with legalization expanding around the world, now is the right time. Also, because it’s fun. Getting high is fun, people who get high are fun and marijuana is fun - and I like to have fun in my life.”

• On the audience for cannabis products with his name…

“It's the same people who've bought and listened to my music all these years – millions of Baby Boomers, the largest bump in the population curve. There’s also a secondary audience of all of their offspring, the Gen-X'ers. That’s millions of people as well.”

“I’m going to position my brand at a super high-quality level - for people who are intelligent and have sophisticated taste. Thinking people who care about quality is who my brand is for. 

• On why his brand will resonate with cannabis fans...

“They know I’ll steer them to the highest quality cannabis. I’m not rushing to slap my name on just any cannabis product. Everything about it will be top quality. I'm known as a serious connoisseur of quality cannabis for about half a century, so I have authenticity and credibility – and I have a lot of experience to draw upon."

• On whether his brand will be recreational, medical or both…

“It’s both. As much as people just want to get high, I think you’re going to find that CBD (Cannabidiol), once it’s refined, concentrated, packaged and marketed is going to become a hugely successful painkiller – because the other main families of painkillers, the opioids, if you do them for 3 weeks you’re hooked and that’s a real problem And the NSAIDs (aspirin/ibuprofen) are not good for your kidneys and your liver, particular your kidneys. So a new family of painkillers coming on the market that doesn’t have the side effects of addiction or damage to your kidneys, that could be even bigger than getting high. Everybody has some pain in their shoulder, their knee, their foot or their elbow.”

• On how his name and face benefits a cannabis brand…

“I’m so damned recognizable. My face, my mustache, my balding head and my white hair have been on all these records for 50 god-dammed years – so there’s this huge recognition factor around the world. I figure why not put that on the front of a cannabis package. If you’re walking into a dispensary and you see my face smiling up at you, you’re likely to try it – and that’s a good thing. Other than music, it's the thing I'm most known for.” 

“For me and my fans, authenticity matters. They'll try it and they’ll come back for more - not just because my name or face is on it, but because they know I stand for quality cannabis.”

• On products he'd like to see a licensee produce....

“Products can include, but are not limited to: Whole Flowers, Pre-Rolls, Vape Pens, Cartridges, Concentrates, Oils, Extracts, Edibles, Beverages, Food Products, CBD, Topicals, Lotions, Hemp Products, Apparel, Logo Items and Accessories.”

“I’ll weigh in with opinions to the degree the licensee wants. I’d require that anything with my name on it is top quality - from the packaging to the contents to the marketing.”

• On what kind of company he would license is name to...

“My first priority is partnering with a quality company. One with a multi-state presence, that can scale nationally and internationally. – one that can handle the task of being the only one to manufacture, market and sell nationally and eventually worldwide.”

“We are going to approach this from the highest level. Anything that has my name on it is going to have to be the highest quality.”

“We’ll only be licensing to a long-term player that won’t be swallowed up in the inevitable industry consolidation that will happen in the Marijuana industry.” 

• On staying involved after licensing his name..

"I would stay involved because I can give valuable input - and I would enjoy it. When it comes to celebrities, I’m probably the most knowledgeable on the subject of cannabis. I’m surely the most vocal and opinionated when it comes to speaking about the benefits of marijuana. I know my fans, and they know I won’t steer them wrong. I’m also surrounded by good people who know, love and understand my music and my fans, and they would give valuable input too. When people fall in love with something, it stands on its own, like a great song - so yes I look forward to advocating for the cannabis industry and my brand.”

• On what name he wants for his cannabis brand…

“Mighty Croz is just a working name we gave it. People started calling me  "Croz" , and it sort of stuck among my friends as one of the ways to mock me. I’ve found that the best way to deal with a big ego is to make fun of it. That’s really the only healthy thing I can do with it, and so I try to make fun of myself whenever I can. Mighty Croz is me making fun of myself. The cannabis company that ultimately licenses my name will choose a brand name.”

• On who’s should be contacted about a licensing deal…

"Start by contacting my longtime friend and entrepreneur Steven Sponder. He is s my partner in this venture. The plan is to license my name to one capable company and have everything go through them."

"The Stikeman Elliott firm (Donald Belovich) in Toronto Canada will represent us in our licensing agreement because they have experience in structuring cannabis industry licensing deals.”

• On why he likes cannabis...

"I like it for music. I like it for going to the museum. I like it for sex. I like it for a whole lot of reasons. I approve, so I have no problem with my name aiding some company in selling marijuana products and getting my strains out to the world. 

“The human race has always liked to get high on something. That’s why we invented fermenting and distilling – and ate every different kind of fruit and berry in the jungle. I think cannabis is the best way for people to get high. It’s much better for people than the other available ways people get loaded.” 

“People are going to get high anyway and cannabis is a safer and better way than the other available methods. I don’t approve of hard drugs at all. Beer isn’t that bad, wine isn’t that bad, but hard booze definitely does real damage. And then there are all the other ones. You know, the pharmaceuticals do horrible things to you, and the serious hard drugs do even worse stuff to you. So really the only thing I know that you can do that gets you high that doesn’t do harm to you is herb.”

• On the best cannabis he’s ever had…

“I was in Canada and a girl brought over some weed and she said now be careful, this is very strong. It was called "Kootenay thunderfuck" and it was so god-damned strong, it was way too strong - I wanted to hide under the piano and suck my thumb.”

“There was an amazing range of weed in the late 1960’s. When we started, we were buying weed in brick kilos that were mostly seeds – really crap weed, and not knowing any better, we thought it was terrific! You had to smoke a lot to get high from it. But then, through sheer luck, I was connected to some people who were connected to some smugglers and I was one of the first people to get any Sensimilla which of course means no seeds, and it was much more powerful pot – and I had a blast with it.”

“At the time, I had just brought my girlfriend Joni Mitchell back to California from Florida and I was about to produce her record and I’d get groups of friends together and give them a joint or two of this spectacularly strong pot they had never encountered before and then Joni would sing them a song or two.” 

“Maui Wowie was the name that the guys who grew in Kona used, and the guys in Maui called their pot Kona Gold. They mixed everything back in the beginning of the seventies. The guys in Hawaii were growing the best pot in the world at the time. They crossbred everything with everything, so I think most of the separations you see people talking about now are theoretical more than actual.”

• On his preferred method of enjoying cannabis…

“My preferred method is vaping. I vape flowers. I currently use a PAX 3 and I just vape flowers we grow ourselves. It’s better for me than smoking it because there’s no tar. I don’t generally use the extracts because most of them aren’t clean enough for me. If I loan my name to an extract, it’s going to have to be a clean one – no aftertaste and no chemicals.”

• On his feelings about legalization…

“I do believe marijuana has many benefits and it should be legal everywhere. I knew people who were in jail for years over a couple of joints - and it’s just not right. I do feel a responsibility to stick up for people who have been stuck in jail for it unfairly. Bottom line is, it should be legal and people shouldn’t be going to jail for it, and I want to reinforce that to the degree that I can.”

“It’s inevitable. Legalization is going to happen - all over the U.S. and around the world because of the money. All the posturing the politicians do, waving their hands in the air saying we have to regulate this and that is all BS. It’s going to come down to the money. Anyone that looks at the money flowing in where its legal knows what the truth is.”

“People are looking at the success in places like Colorado and Oregon. The numbers are unequivocal. The places that have done it are winning and they will have money for schools, roads and hospitals. Bottom line is I’d like cannabis to be legal everywhere."

"I'm passionate about legalization - which is why I agreed to be on the National Advisory Board of NORML. "

“I think Canadians should congratulate themselves for having a country that was smart enough to change their laws and wind up being where all the major marijuana companies are based." 

"The places that get in first, like Canada make all the money. The cannabis companies set up there because it’s legal on the federal level there so they can bank it. 

• On his thoughts about hard drugs…

“Don’t do any hard drugs. Simple, don’t fucking do it! Don’t do any cocaine, don’t do any speed, don’t do any junk - none, zero, period, ever!”

“If you’re going to get high, I think Marijuana is the way to go. It doesn’t seem to have any real serious side effects and it does definitely help me go to sleep – I know that’s one thing I use it fo