It was bound to happen sooner or later.

Country music legend Willie Nelson has never been shy about his love of marijuana. With the growing trend of states legalizing marijuana for personal use, Nelson, 81, has decided to jump into the young and lucrative pot industry.

The Daily Beast talked to Michael Bowman, a pot lobbyist who is Nelson's spokesperson for the project. The business plan includes a new brand of weed, called Willie's Reserve.  In addition, branded merchandise such as bongs will be sold. In the works are stores that would sell the Willie's Reserve products, in addition to other marijuana-related products that Nelson endorses.

Bowman compared the plan to Whole Foods, which sells its own brand of products but also sells other brands that align with the company’s core beliefs. Bowman referred to Willie’s weed plan as the “anti-Walmart model.”

Willie’s Reserve products may be available by 2016 in states where marijuana is legal.

About the Author

Keep Reading

Gwinnett County Fair takes place this weekend with carnival rides, livestock shows, a circus and more. (Photo courtesy of Gwinnett County Fair/Dustin Grau)

Credit: Photo courtesy of Gwinnett County Fair/Dustin Grau

Featured

A rendering of the columbarium memorial that is estimated to be completed by next summer or fall in the southeast part of Oakland Cemetery, officials said. (Courtesy of Historic Oakland Foundation)

Credit: Historic Oakland Foundation