Can you picture a CEO of a Fortune 500 company using cannabis as their primary method to push the long work days? What about your favorite celebrity before a big show?
Because of the stigma, it seems like an oxymoron for someone highly successful to use cannabis. But many high-achieving individuals use cannabis to help push the bounds of their creativity and productivity.
There are multiple CEOs, business owners, and even entertainers who boast about how cannabis helps them work at optimal levels (or to merely manage the stress of their work). A study conducted back in 2016 suggests that cannabis actually improves brain function and can lead to improved performance depending on how it’s used.
Let’s explore some of the influencers who are changing the conversation on cannabis and who’s using it.
Richard Branson by Youtube – CC BY
1. Richard Branson
Richard Bronson is worth $5.1 billion dollars. You may have already heard of him from flying Virgin America or listening to one of the artists under his record label Virgin Records.
Branson has spoken openly in disagreement with policies that do not support the legalization of cannabis. He’s an advocate for decriminalization and regulation. Back in 2016, he even openly proposed that parents should use cannabis with their young adult children to reduce the stigma.
George Zimmer by Facebook – CC BY
2. George Zimmer
“You’re going to love the way you look. I guarantee it,” is the famous line from the Men’s Warehouse commercials featuring founder, George Zimmer. As the former CEO of a company with thousands of employees and $30 million in revenue, he advocates long-term cannabis use.
Zimmer considers himself a cannabis activist. He’s shared that he used cannabis to help wean him off of an alcohol addiction that plagued him during his first years as a CEO. As a result, he hasn’t used alcohol in 35 years and successfully ran his company before stepping down as CEO.
3. Elon Musk
Tesla, Space X, and Paypal… these are huge companies with one thing in common. They were all either founded or co-founded by the South-African born and quite controversial entrepreneur, Elon Musk.
Early in September 2018, Elon made waves throughout social media when he smoked cannabis in an interview with Joe Rogan, which was live-streamed on YouTube. The decision to participate caused quite a stir, but he’s expressed that his work is very stressful and requires a lot of brain power to shoot Teslas into orbit or make hyperspeed trains. Cannabis might be what helps him push through his tougher days.
John Sperling by NY Times – CC BY
4. John Sperling
You may not know his name, but you know the name of the for-profit college he founded: The University of Phoenix. As the founder of this college, Sperling created a multi-billion dollar endeavor.
He was known to always be an advocate for the use of cannabis after using it to help with the side effects that plagued him years after surviving prostate cancer. His work to push for the decriminalization of cannabis is focused around his belief that it has multiple benefits.
Whoopi Goldberg by Fandom – CC BY
5. Whoopi Goldberg
Actress Whoopi Goldberg is known for movies like The Color Purple, Ghost, and her role as a talk show host on The View. Her long-standing career has afforded her numerous accolades and respect in the entertainment industry.
In 2014, she published a piece expressing her love for cannabis because it helps her with physical pain and everyday emotional stresses. It also helped her following her addiction to using cigarettes. Today she’s founded a line of cannabis products meant to help women combat premenstrual syndrome side effects.
While these celebrities may have been able to find the benefits of cannabis use not only inspiring in their own lives, but elevating of their professional ones, so too can you. It’s no secret that cannabis has the ability to curb arthritis pain, eliminate migraines, and can even help you be so productive as to get your family out of a hurricane’s way.
