LOS ANGELES (AP) — With the multibillion-dollar U.S. marijuana industry beginning to flower, the cannabis industry is pushing hard to dispel the idea that everyone who tokes up these days is a stumbling slacker living on their parents' couch.
Instead, pot is being branded as the leafy equivalent of a fine brandy or healthy elixir.
The upscale pot shop MedMen, for example, has launched a $2 million anti-stoner campaign featuring average folks who get lit. Photos on billboards, buses and the web feature a grandmother, a former pro football player and a teacher, among others.
Lit.Club is marketing its pre-rolled joints as the herbal equivalent of a fine brandy.
Not everyone is persuaded.
Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, believes such pitches try to hide potential marijuana-related problems like public intoxication and addiction.