Bob Marley’s family to put his name to cannabis products

The products will honour Bob Marley’s legacy in an ‘authentic way’, says his daughter Cedella

Bob Marley smoking a joint backstage before a gig in Rotterdam (Rex Features)

Bob Marley fans will soon be able to buy cannabis products endorsed by the reggae musician, after his family struck a deal with a US private equity firm to create a global “Marley Natural” marijuana brand.

More than three decades after the death of the Jamaican superstar, Privateer Holdings is hoping to crack the cannabis market with a new line of modern consumer products “rooted in the life and legacy” of Bob Marley.

Marley Natural products, which will go on sale next year in countries and jurisdictions where they are legal, and will include Jamaican cannabis strains, cannabis- and hemp-infused creams and lip balms as well as accessories inspired by Marley. The cannabis will be sold as “loose packed” buds, oils or concentrate, so that consumers will have to roll their own joints.

The Marley family had previously licensed a number of products using his image, including Marley Coffee and House of Marley headphones, but this marks their first move into the cannabis market.

Possible markets where recreational use of cannabis has been legalised include the states of Washington and Colorado in the US. Other countries to have decriminalised cannabis use include the Netherlands, Uruguay, Canada, Spain and Israel.

Known for his dreadlocks and signature voice, Marley went on to become a global superstar and is credited for introducing reggae into mainstream music. His greatest hits compilation, Legend, is the world’s best-selling reggae album, with over 27 million copies sold worldwide.

Marley died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36.