Last verified: March 2026
Los Angeles is not just the largest legal cannabis market in the world — it's the place where cannabis became a celebrity industry. The same city that produces movies, music, and fashion now produces cannabis brands with the same combination of hype, spectacle, and occasional implosion. Here's who's in, who's out, and what $575 million in losses looks like.
Cookies (Berner)
Berner (Gilbert Milam Jr.) built Cookies from a Bay Area strain (Girl Scout Cookies) into arguably the most recognized cannabis brand on the planet. Key facts:
- ~70 dispensary locations across the US and internationally
- Featured on the cover of Forbes in August 2022
- Signature strains: Girl Scout Cookies, Gelato, Gary Payton
- The iconic Cookies Melrose flagship in LA closed in November 2023 — a sign of the market's struggles even for the biggest names
Cookies pioneered the model of cannabis-as-streetwear brand, blurring the line between dispensary and lifestyle retailer. The blue bag is one of the most counterfeited items in cannabis.
Khalifa Kush (Wiz Khalifa)
Wiz Khalifa's Khalifa Kush achieved what many celebrity brands only claim: genuine commercial dominance. KK was the #1 cannabis brand by sales for two consecutive years. Unlike many celebrity partnerships that are pure licensing deals, Khalifa Kush reflects Wiz's actual long-standing cannabis identity — the man named an album after the plant.
Tyson 2.0 (Mike Tyson)
Mike Tyson's cannabis brand became a cultural phenomenon through one product: "Mike Bites" — ear-shaped gummies with a bite taken out, referencing the 1997 Holyfield fight. The genius was turning a controversial moment into a cannabis marketing icon.
- $50M+ annual revenue
- Mike Bites became the most viral cannabis product in history
- Available across multiple states with aggressive expansion
Houseplant (Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg)
Actor and writer Seth Rogen and producer Evan Goldberg approached cannabis like they approach comedy — with meticulous craft and zero pretension. Houseplant has been called the "Apple of cannabis" for its obsessive attention to packaging design and user experience.
- Weather-themed strain names (Diablo Wind, Pancake Ice)
- Premium ceramics and home goods alongside flower and pre-rolls
- "In-House" social equity mentorship program supporting emerging cannabis entrepreneurs
Snoop Dogg
Snoop Dogg is the most diversified celebrity in cannabis, operating more like a venture capitalist than a brand ambassador:
- Casa Verde Capital — cannabis-focused venture fund with approximately $100 million under management, investing across the industry
- Death Row Cannabis — brand tied to his Death Row Records acquisition
- S.W.E.D. (Smoke Weed Every Day) dispensaries near LAX, named after his most famous phrase
Snoop's strategy is to be everywhere in cannabis without being dependent on any single product line.
B-Real (Dr. Greenthumb's)
B-Real of Cypress Hill fame runs Dr. Greenthumb's, a dispensary chain in the LA area. Unlike celebrity brands that license their name to existing operators, B-Real is hands-on in the business. Dr. Greenthumb's operates retail locations and has become a fixture of LA cannabis culture, rooted in the hip-hop community that helped normalize cannabis in the first place.
Cheech & Chong's Cannabis Co.
Cheech Marin and Tommy Chong — the comedy duo who made stoner culture mainstream in the 1970s — have their own cannabis company. While their cultural influence on cannabis is incalculable (their films introduced millions of Americans to the concept), the brand operates modestly compared to newer celebrity entrants.
Jay-Z, Monogram & The $575M Collapse
This is the cautionary tale. Jay-Z's Monogram brand — featuring $50 joints and ultra-premium positioning — was backed by TPCO Holding Corp., which burned through approximately $575 million with a reported $587 million net loss. TPCO was meant to be the largest vertically integrated cannabis company in California. Instead, it became the industry's most expensive failure.
The collapse illustrates a hard truth about LA cannabis: celebrity association alone cannot overcome 40%+ taxes, regulatory complexity, and an illicit market selling the same products for half the price.
One bright spot: Jay-Z's involvement did help back Josephine & Billie's in South LA — the first dispensary in America by and for women of color, designed as a 1920s speakeasy. That equity investment outlasted the corporate parent.
Dr. Dre & "The Chronic"
Dr. Dre never launched a cannabis brand, despite Berner personally pitching him one. But his influence on cannabis culture is unmatched. The Chronic (1992) is the most culturally significant cannabis-themed artwork ever created — it was added to the Library of Congress National Recording Registry.
The album's very name is a famous malapropism: young Andre misheard "hydroponic" (a growing method) as "hydrochronic," which became "The Chronic." An entire generation's relationship with cannabis was shaped by a studio accident.
Weedmaps: The Platform
Not a celebrity brand, but no discussion of LA cannabis culture is complete without Weedmaps (NASDAQ: MAPS), headquartered in Irvine. Weedmaps is the dominant marketplace platform where dispensaries list products and consumers discover shops.
- Dispensary listings cost approximately $4,000/month
- Removed 2,700+ unlicensed listings after regulatory pressure
- Faced a September 2025 lawsuit over business practices
For visitors, Weedmaps is the most-used tool for finding dispensaries, reading menus, and checking prices — but always cross-reference with the DCC's "Real CA Cannabis" search to verify licensing.
Cannabis Content Creators
LA's cannabis culture extends beyond brands into a massive content ecosystem:
- Dope as Yola — over 2 million YouTube subscribers. Known for strain reviews, dispensary visits, and cannabis comedy. One of the largest cannabis-focused channels on the platform.
- Koala Puffs — 700,000+ Instagram followers. Combines cannabis culture with lifestyle content, fashion, and travel.
- Pot Brothers at Law — attorneys who went viral with their "shut the f*** up" legal advice for cannabis-related traffic stops. Serious legal expertise delivered with irreverent humor.
- PROHBTD — cannabis media company with 100M+ total reach across platforms. Produces documentary-style content about cannabis culture, history, and industry.
Los Angeles is the center of gravity for celebrity cannabis. The brands that survive here — Cookies, Khalifa Kush, Tyson 2.0 — succeed because they combine authentic connection to cannabis culture with real operational discipline. The ones that fail — and TPCO's $575M loss is the cautionary tale — treat cannabis like another licensing opportunity.
Industry Analysis, 2025
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Related on this site: California Cannabis Law, LA Cannabis Politics — Who Bans, LA Cannabis Social Equity.