'Tiger King' And Weed Are Linked In Many Ways

By The Fresh Toast's Brendan Bures, provided exclusively to Benzinga Cannabis.

Tiger King’s Joe Exotic ran for Oklahoma governor and had some interesting ideas about marijuana legalization.

The hit Netflix docuseries Tiger King has taken over both pop culture and our collective subconscious in recent weeks. Escaping into a surreal world bearing little recognition to the world’s current climate soothes our overloaded, overworked brain cells amid the coronavirus pandemic.

If you’ve watched the show, you know marijuana plays a role in Joe Exotic’s bizarre and unbelievable tale. (Warning: Spoilers ahead for anyone who hasn’t seen the show.)

The story touches on Joe’s failed presidential and Oklahoma gubernatorial campaigns. When he ran for Oklahoma governor in 2018, a main plank of Joe’s platform was legalizing marijuana. A promotional item for his campaign was rolling papers.

Libertarian Joe Exotic passes out rolling papers at the Oklahoma Press Association convention in Shawnee. He supports legalizing medical marijuana. pic.twitter.com/nJZnlsq1xn

— Barbara Hoberock (@bhoberock) June 15, 2018

“Through my years, I’ve tried some drugs,” Exotic said during his first campaign video. “During one of our debates in Norman there, I asked one of my opponents, ‘Have you ever smoked weed before.’ And he said, ‘Yeah, but I’d be ashamed to say it.’

See Also: Guide: How To Stop Coughing So Hard From Marijuana Smoke

“First of all, how can you represent 300 million people and be ashamed of anything?” he continued. “How can you understand what they hell they’re going through, what their problems are? I ain’t got nothing to be ashamed of. Hell, I’ve done it all. I’ve had some of the kinkiest sex imaginable, and I’ve been to dirty bookstores.”

Photo by Thibault Penin via Unsplash

Just from reading that quote alone you understand why people can’t get enough of Tiger King. And now the cannabis industry is jumping on the opportunity to give the people what they want. And they’re doing it for a good cause.

As Benzinga first reported, California-based marijuana brand Moxie will launch two cannabis strains called Tiger’s Blood and Cool Cats Cush. Moxie will donate $1 to Tiger Protection Fund for every item sold. The products will be available early next week and coincides with Netflix releasing an addition Tiger King episode to satiate fans who can’t get enough.

See Also: Marijuana Use And The Coronavirus Outbreak: Safety Guidelines From NORML

“The series shed light on the terrible living conditions and deplorable exploitation of tigers in captivity,” Moxie’s head of marketing, Tessa Adams, told VegNews. “We felt compelled to pair with the World Wildlife Fund for this project because our mission is to give back in whatever meaningful ways we can. We hope that people don’t forget about the animals, as they became our primary focus as the season went on.”

Photo by Nick Karvounis via Unsplash