Jim Belushi- Cannabis Farmer
From his tv and movie roles in the 1980s like SNL and Red Heat, Jim Belushi has surprised us with his ability to reinvent himself. The actor and musician turned legal cannabis farmer has combined his talents to show the world his new life and career as a cultivator in his Discovery Channel show "Growing Belushi".
The TV show aims to show the challenges of the cannabis industry for any entrepreneur. Belushi appears to take it all in his stride, though. Farming is all about problem-solving. "I want to show that this can be a legitimate agricultural business. Of course, there are problems, and you have to get through them creatively." Belushi stated.
Belushi has always believed in facing challenges straight up and allowing the magic to happen. Shooting movies is challenging, and so is growing weed. It's just part of the process". He bought his 93-acre farm in southern Oregon back in 2015 after falling in love with the land. The idea to grow weed was an afterthought, inspired by his long time respect and connection to the plant.
Jim approaches the project rather uniquely by combining his love of weed with his love of music, calling it "music mischievous as a mission from God." He explains it as the "mission from God is the medicine; the music is the joy that comes from the dance, and mischievous is the fun,"
Belushi gives his plant names and sings and plays the harmonica to them. Before harvest, he plays gospel music to his plants to let them know that they are going to the heavens to help people in their afterlife.
Belushi's attitude towards growing is the same one he uses as an actor. "When I get a script, I read it and reread it. I memorize it, study it. I create a past for the character. I exercise my mind with the character."Cannabis cultivation is no different. "I study the plant, the cultivars, the nutrients and the history".
Belushi gives his plant names and sings and plays the harmonica to them. Before harvest, he plays gospel music to his plants to let them know that they are going to the heavens to help people in their afterlife.
It may sound crazy, but it's certainly not hurting business. Belushi already has several successful signature brands, including The Blues Brothers, Belushi's Secret Stash, and Captain Jack's Gulzar Afghanica.
He has also recently come up with a brand new concept. "Good Ugly Weed". The idea came from an analysis of the Oregon weed market. In the State where Belushi's Farm is located, manufacturers buy ugly flowers to extract concentrate. These "ugly flowers" are part of the same high-quality strains, with premium characteristics, but are not as aesthetically pleasing!
Belushi's response to this "These guys have excellent weed, and they're giving it away for $350 a pound, so I said, let's buy it for 350 and sell it at a good price for people. As it turns out, he was on to a good thing as most consumers are more interested in getting high-quality weed at a reasonable price than in getting good-looking cannabis. The idea is also a great way to get this "left-over" weed away from the unregulated market.
Belushi is also actively working with the "Last Prisoner Project" team. They are a group of cannabis industry leaders, and artists focused on restorative justice by helping release nonviolent cannabis offenders.
In all of his endeavours, Belushi is giving back to the people. Whether through music, comedy or cannabis, love is the common denominator.
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Liz Filmer
