Legal Marijuana Industry Tries To Shake ‘Stoner’ Stereotypes

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.

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