Jim Belushi's High Stakes Battle For His Cannabis Farm, Actor Weighs On Season 3 Of 'Growing Belushi'

Jim Belushi first ventured into the cannabis industry in 2015 when he got involved in farming a 48-plant crop in Southern Oregon. Today, Belushi's Farm has grown to a massive cannabis empire slated to appear in Discovery's WBD hit series "Growing Belushi" as the show returns this week for a third season.

Set to premiere on Wednesday, April 5 at 9 PM ET, the show will follow the "According to Jim" star and his team of farmers as they work to turn Belushi's Farm into a national cannabis brand, with the ultimate goal of global expansion.

In this iteration, the series brings a combination of comic moments and the harsh reality that cannabis businesses are facing lately.

Challenges Facing The Weed Industry

"It's a struggle right now in Oregon," Belushi told Oregon Live commenting on the state of the cannabis industry. "It's a struggle right now in California and in Colorado, the business is changing."

The actor and musician pointed to falling prices, oversupply, "over-taxation and over-regulation" as the main issues burdening cannabis companies.

He also touched on the illegal grow operations in Oregon, a topic that has been discussed in the series.

"We were very concerned about the amount of organized crime in Jackson County," Belushi said, referring to a fire at Belushi's Farm that destroyed one of the buildings during the show's last season. "With black market cannabis, you don't know what you're ingesting."

To tackle the growing issues, Belushi is "making adjustments" by traveling as far as Albania to find new markets to distribute his cannabis brand.

The third season of "Growing Belushi" underscores that it's not all milk and honey for the actor-turned-cannabis farmer.

"The show is based on me being a grower and being a brand within the cannabis business, showing what you do and how you do it." Belushi continued. "Though there's humor."

Belushi is a fierce medical marijuana advocate due to losing his brother John Belushi, "Animal House" star and original SNL cast member, to a drug overdose.

"I believe everybody, regardless of political affiliation, has health, trauma, and family in common," he told Benzinga earlier, adding that "magic in this plant can support and help all three."

Discovery & Benzinga Celebrate Cannabis

To celebrate 4/20, an annual celebration of cannabis, Discovery will air a "Growing Belushi" marathon featuring all series episodes to date beginning Thursday, April 20 at 7 AM ET/PT.

In the meantime, the Benzinga Cannabis Capital Conference, the premier gathering of cannabis entrepreneurs and investors in North America, returns to Miami Beach April 11-12.

This is the place where DEALS GET DONE, where money is raised, M&A start and companies meet investors and key partners. Join us at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach Hotel in Florida on April 11-12. Don’t miss out.
Secure your tickets now before prices go up.

Photo: Benzinga edit of images by Wikimedia Commons and Matthew Brodeur on Unsplash