Pot Industry Hopes Bob Marley Biopic Causes Booming Bud Sales

The new biopic, Bob Marley: One Love, opens in theaters on Valentines Day and is predicted to be the weekends biggest hit .

Cannabis loomed large in the reggae legends life, inspiring his music and his spirituality. It was also a big part of his pop culture presence, as anyone who knew a college friend who had a poster of Marley smoking a spliff can attest.

Unsurprisingly, cannabis dispensaries and manufacturers all over the U.S. are hoping for a big hit literally and figuratively for the bud biz amid the biopics release.

Marley is definitely on a lot of peoples Mount Rushmore of marijuana, Keshawn Warner, the co-founder of Dazed , a cannabis dispensary based in Massachusetts and New York, told HuffPost.

Warner noted that the cannabis community already celebrates Marleys Feb. 6 birthday, often with events that take place throughout the month. 

So he expects weed sales to bloom even more this weekend as filmgoers buy joints or edibles to consume before the movie.

Warner said his dispensaries arent selling products tied directly to the movie, but Marley videos and music will be played throughout the stores. In addition, employees plan to honor Marleys memory with a smoking break at 4:20 p.m.

Meanwhile, the Planet 13 dispensary in Las Vegas  is capitalizing on the biopic by giving away tickets to a Feb. 18 concert by the singers sons, Damian and Stephen Marley.

Olivia Alexander, the CEO and founder of Kush Queen , a Southern California-based cannabis manufacturer, thinks the film will help showcase the positive qualities of the plant.

Bob and his family, with their Marley Natural brand, have been good for the industry, doing good things, Alexander told HuffPost. And his story is also a story about that plant.

HuffPost reached out to Marley Natural for comment about the movies potential effect on the company, but no one immediately responded.

Some companies are paying tribute to the musician, such as El Blunto . The California-based cannabis company is selling a Marley-themed humidor that is meant to honor a cultural icon who, through his art and life, championed the virtues of peace, love, and, importantly, the normalization of cannabis, according to the companys website .

Not all cannabis businesses are predicting a bumper crop of sales connected directly to the movie, though.

Greg Centrone, who manages Buds Glass Joint , a smoke shop in Phoenix, isnt getting a lot of buzz connected with the film but thinks it might influence sales of Marley Natural the most.

In addition, Peter Tang, co-owner of the Plugplay cannabis brand, predicts a slight rise in consumer sales, but likely wont reach the level of sales associated with 4/20.

Still, Tang said, this is definitely an occasion that will immerse cannabis enthusiasts.

But filmgoers who are high on seeing the film this weekend under the influence do have a big challenge ahead of them: what kind of cannabis to consume.

Warner had some suggestions.

Wedding Cake could be a good strain, he said. Maybe a hybrid with a good body high to help you absorb the music. No indica! You dont want to fall asleep.

Alexander also had some recommendations.

Ive heard that Lambs Bread was [Marleys] favorite, so if you can score that, but maybe an OG Kush, or even just a gummy, she said.