In addition to being Willie Nelson, Willie Nelson has long been the most out-front celebrity champion of recreational marijuana ever. (Sorry Seth Rogen, but Willie’s got you beat by about a half-century.) Appearing on Tuesday’s Tonight Show to promote his new release Ride Me Back Home (his astonishing 98th studio album, according to estimates), the 86-year-old country music icon was just as vocal as ever about the benefits—medicinal and otherwise—of his longtime drug of choice. Telling Jimmy Fallon that taking up pot (as opposed to 2-3 daily packs of Chesterfields and drinking “whatever there was there to drink”) is literally what’s made it possible for him to make it to 86, Nelson waxed genially about his long history with getting mellow.
And it’s not an idle, jigsaw puzzles and Judge Judy 86, as Nelson told Fallon about the busy touring schedule coming up for his Outlaw Music Festival, alongside the likes of Alison Krauss, The Avett Brothers, Nathaniel Rateliff, & The Night Sweats, and others. Sure, it helps that Willie has the biggest, comfiest, weed-smellingest tour bus in the business, but who’s going to begrudge Willie Nelson a little comfort? Speaking of comfort, Fallon revealed that Nelson has gifted him a generous helping of Willie’s Reserve, the Willie-tested-and-approved strain of marijuana that’s the flagship product of Nelson’s burgeoning now-semi-legal pot empire. (“I haven’t run across any I didn’t like,” confessed Nelson, which might undermine the stringent testing claim a bit.)
Naturally Fallon, being Fallon, played giggly and cutesy with the fact that Willie Nelson gifted him some weed—as if Fallon needs help to get any gigglier. Still, it’s testament to Nelson’s persistence and outlaw cred that he was a weed outlaw long before weed went increasingly legal in America, with Nelson wryly commenting that all it took was for corporations to see “that there’s money in there” for Willie (if not the untold thousands of incarcerated, not-famous, and largely not-white weed dealers) to go from outlaws to avuncularly endearing entrepreneurs.
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Me too, Willie. Me too.
Me three. Baggie in my shirt pocket stopped a bullet.
Me four, I missed a plane once because I was so high. That flight went down in heavy weather over the Rockies. The survivors ate each other.
Me five. I once almost read a Tucker Max book but I got stoned and zoned out on Team Fortress 2 instead. Ok so maybe it didn’t save my life. It did save me a lifetime of discomfort from having read a Tucker Max book.
NOOCH!
Peace be upon him.
Would love to watch this but – you know, Fallon giggling makes my ears bleed.*Will still be picking up some Willie’s Reserve at first opportunity. If it’s Willie approved – it must be good.
I mean he did say he never came across any he didn’t like. As a fellow pot enthusiast, that is definitely not the case for me. That being said he is quite a good deal wealthier than me so maybe he’s never had to bum a disappointing eighth off of his best friend’s boyfriend’s brother.
Way before vaping was a thing, heard that he had converted almost all of his bus intake to vape (said he could not deal with smoking anymore).Sure he still has to “quality test” now that he is putting his name on his brand – occasionally.
I swear it’s the most annoying part of his entire persona. I just want to shake him and tell him to stop acting like an eleven year old boy who just heard the word penis.
Well, the giggling and – the ass kissing.
If he could tone that down it would be nice. Just can’t listen to any interview he does because he will actually step on the subject’s answer in order to pucker up and deliver an unwarranted cheek smooch.Cringe inducing every time.
This is notable: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/sites/default/files/NewsRelease%241B%20inmarijuanatax%20revenue.pdf“Colorado marijuana industry continues to grow, revenue surpasses $1 billion to date”The case for legalization of marijuana grows every day.
ETA an important quote from the report: “Marijuana revenue supports statewide efforts such as licensing and regulation of legal
marijuana businesses, youth prevention efforts, behavioral health treatment, protecting public
health and safety, and coordination across state agencies.” It ain’t just about smokin’ reefer, friends.
I think more states should follow Colorado’s smart regulatory guidelines and rollout. California is still having issues and NY is focused so much on who will control the revenue they forget the people who are being adversely effected by the system as it is. Virginia has an AG that is acutely aware of the human toll on minority communities in his state. It’s interesting to see the different ways 3 different states are handling everything at the same time with 3 different outcomes. https://www.cannabissentinel.com/cannabis-colorado-revenue-jobs/https://www.cannabissentinel.com/new-york-cannabis-bill/https://www.cannabissentinel.com/virginia-ag-cannabis-legalization/
Willie’s Reserve is a brand, not a strain. (And a reseller rather than in-house grower, for that matter)
I don’t think it’s directly associated with Flow Kana anymore (on the label at least), but I believe they’re still working with the growers who did the original strains for Willie’s Reserve/FK in CA.
IIRC, the first Willie’s Reserve strains were just the four Flow Kana strains with the highest THC percentage, which is a little disappointing from a creative standpoint. THC% is not the end-all be-all of how how high you’ll get, and Flow Kana distributes dozens of different strains from farmers across the state (the vast, rotating number of SKUs is a real challenge for dispensaries here.) Considering FK’s pedigree, I sort of wish Willie’s had reached a little further off the beaten path – you can get Tahoe OG anywhere, you know?
My favorite interview ever was when Snoop Dogg – fucking Snoop Dogg – said that when he smoked out with Willie, that Willie was the only person to make him go “I had to hit the timeout button”.That’s pretty epic levels of pot usage.
I saw Snoop perform 2 years ago, & he had a “blunt guy” with him onstage who handed him a fresh one every 10 minutes or so. I’m impressed Willie out smoked him. Epic, indeed.
How would you like that on your resume?“What was your last position, Mr Spoooon?”“I was Snoop Dogg’s weed caddy.”
There are only estimates of how many albums he’s released?
Yeah…is it that hard to count up to near 100?
It actually is hard to count up to 100 when your baked out of your skull.
When you’re as high as Willie is, counting to 10 is like climbing K2.
When someone’s been in the music business that long, with so many labels and not a few unauthorized releases (I don’t mean just bootlegs, I mean “legitimate” record companies who put out collections without permission)… yeah, it’s hard to be accurate.The great thing about Willie is that he is not, despite his, shall we say relaxed demeanor, coasting. Last Man Standing (from 2018) is great – fresh and fun with new songs and no filler (in my opinion). Ian Hunter is similar – that is, 80 years old and still putting out relevant music – but nowhere near as prolific as Willie. Or as stoned I guess, which could be a factor.
Isn’t smoking weed still carcinogenic? (Maybe less these days as you can vape it, but for the majority of Mr Nelson’s life…)It’s a little bit like an 85 year old cigarette smoker saying smoking saved their life due to it helping them stop drinking.
Based on what I’ve observed from my friends (I’ve never smoked cigarettes), you typically don’t smoke nearly as much weed as you would smoke cigarettes. 2 packs a day is a lot in cigarettes; you wouldn’t come close to smoking the equivalent in marijuana in a single day. Maybe Willie smokes that much. Admittedly I don’t know how a single joint compares to say a single cigarette in terms of health impact. But you also can cut out both cigarettes and alcohol and replace them with weed, or at least it sounds like Willie did. So he cut out two very unhealthy vices and took up another. Cutting out alcohol from my life and sticking just to weed has been so much better for me, too. Alcohol really enhances my depression after I drink, and alcohol also causes way more physical impairment.
12.5 grams per pack, says the google.A half an ounce of pot weighs 14 grams (as does a half ounce of possum, but that’s not important right now).
I don’t believe medical marijuana would be a thing if it was as harmful as cigarettes.I could be wrong though.
My understanding is that it’s not as carcinogenic, coupled with the fact that cigarette smokers tend to smoke several times per day, whereas people who smoke pot tend to (on average) only do it once in a while. (Yes of course there are people who toke constantly, just as there are people who have 3-pack-a-day habits, versus people who only smoke two or three cigarettes a day.)
As an everyday smoker, I only hit the bowl 3 times.That’s 3 inhalations total. 1 cigarette would be many more than that.Of course I’m only high for half the day. If I were stoned all day, it would be 6 inhalations.
My understanding is that it *is*, but it’s pretty hard to burn through joints at anything close to the pack-a-day or more rate many smokers do.
The stuff they put in cigarettes is gross. Chemicals and the like! I know, THC is a chemical, but it’s a friendly one as far as I’m concerned.
I kinda assumed part of the carinogen was the temperature of the smoke hence why vaping or water pipes are “better” as they lower the temperature. But yeah, there are a lot of extra things in cigarettes
The carcinogens are from the burning plant material I believe, not sure it has anything to do with the temperature of the smoke. One thing that’s great with legalization is that there are more and better vaporizers out there. A dry herb vaporizer is totally different than the oil vaporizers people use too, it’s basically precisely heated air, enough to vaporize the cannabinoids but not burn the plant material. Unless you crank up the temperature you’re not really burning anything so it should be far better than smoking.
Ah, I see – did a little extra research and it’s burning that releases the carcinogens which is why I had in my mind the idea temperature had something to do with it (and why dry herb vaporiser are much safer)Although I’m still pretty sure Willie Nelson wasn’t using a vape back in the day 😉
VAPE LIFE
I would guess it’s based on how much you smoke, others seem to have the same idea.Heavy pot smokers, like one of my buddies, probably inhale nearly as much as a cigarette smoker. I personally smoke maybe a bowl or two a day (so, like 5 bong rips each). Lately I’ve been pairing that with edibles so I have even less smoke intake.I used to smoke hookah. Don’t get me wrong, I had a good time but holy shit I had an epiphany one day a few years ago and never touched it again.
On the one hand, you gotta admire his longevity – not only in the music business but in the staying alive business. However, regarding his pot-smoking, it sorta begs the question: If old Willie hadn’t spent all that money on weed over the years, do you think maybe he might’ve been able to pay his taxes back in the day like the rest of us poor, unentitled schlubs?
Should there REALLY be a comma between Nathaniel Rateliff& The Night Sweats?
Just as I moved into an industry which forbids it, my country legalized it. I think I did this self-reinvention thing wrong.
Is Jimmy Fallon just admitting to breaking the law on his show? Baller.
I’m too lazy to look it up, but a few years ago Willie and some of his pals were pulled over (maybe driving a tour bus, not sure) and busted for possession. I’m sure they just paid a fine or whatever, but my favorite part of the story is that Willie, at 75 or 80, was not the oldest guy caught up in the bust.
My favorite part is that they found like a quarter-pound of mushrooms on board too.