Jim Belushi Talks Cannabis Ahead Of Fireside Chat In Berlin

This year’s International Cannabis Business Conference event in Berlin will feature a one-on-one fireside chat with acclaimed entertainer Jim Belushi. Jim Belushi is a man of many talents – actor, singer, comedian, dancer, and now a legal cannabis farmer. We asked Belushi a series of cannabis questions ahead of his appearance in Berlin and below is what he had to say:

International Cannabis Business Conference: How does farming cannabis compare to your other pursuits?

Belushi: They both are on a mission to make people feel good, whether you’re making them laugh in a comedy or performing the Blues Brothers and filling their souls with music, or giving them cannabis to heal their anxieties, hopelessness, pain…. or just making them feel good and euphoric. The entertainment industry and the cannabis industry don’t hurt anybody. You can’t overdose if you laugh too much and you can’t overdose if you smoke too much pot. You may pass out if you eat too much of an edible, and I may have peed my pants from laughing too hard (especially at John Candy movies). But all in all, I’ve been at my business for 40 years and cannabis for 7 and they both have the same purpose — making people feel a little bit better. So I feel like I’m on track. They’re the same medicine.

International Cannabis Business Conference: Belushi’s Farm is located in Southern Oregon. What made you decide to choose that region?

Belushi: Southern Oregon chose me. My friend has a beautiful ranch down the Rogue River that I used to visit with my family twice a year. I went into the river naked one time and came out baptized, with a new spiritual release. I said to my friend, “Do you know of any other properties around here?” And that was it. I didn’t know Southern Oregon was the premiere spot to grow cannabis at the time… I was brought to Southern Oregon.

International Cannabis Business Conference: What types of products does your company make?

Belushi: Belushi’s Farm is home to a range of offerings including The Blues Brothers, Captain Jack’s Gulzar Afghanica (a rare strain from the Hindu Kush region that became known in the ’70s as “The Smell of SNL”), Good Ugly Weed, Belushi’s Farm premium brand. We’ve got a variety of products including flower, ice cream, hash and vape pens.

International Cannabis Business Conference: What markets are they available in? Do you have plans to expand to other continents?

Belushi: We’re currently available in Arizona, California, Colorado, Illinois, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and South Dakota. As for other continents, watch Season 3 of GROWING BELUSHI to see where we may take the adventure next!

International Cannabis Business Conference: What is your personal cannabis consumption regimen?

Belushi: I’m a microdoser. It’s medicine to me. I take 2.5-5mg of the Blues Brothers Bhang Chocolate to help me sleep. I’ll smoke a little Cherry Pie at the end of the day to help me with the transition into the evening. It’s medicine to me…“This medicine is so good, people take it FOR the side effects.”

International Cannabis Business Conference: What was your experience like making your hit show ‘Growing Belushi’ on the Discovery Channel? How did that cannabis-focused project compare to other projects you have worked on?

Belushi: This is a big question and deserves its own essay. But in short, all the other projects I’ve been involved with in show business have been scripted. Growing Belushi was all improvised, every scene, every moment. That takes a lot of concentration, a lot of wit, a lot of trust in your own ability, and a lot of overshooting to pull together an hour show each week. But that being said, it’s rewarding and joyous and fun when you’re able to create everything in the show. I love it.

International Cannabis Business Conference: What have you learned from visiting dispensaries in Oregon and beyond? 

Belushi: I visit a lot of dispensaries. In Oregon, I actually deliver to dispensaries and I do personal appearances and meet & greets. I have learned 85% of what I know about cannabis from these visits and experiences, which has changed this from a business to a journey to the pathway to healing. There are people, so many people, in need of medicine. From the veterans with PTSD, quadriplegics with spasms, people with shattered bones from car accidents, people with MS, dementia, sleeplessness, cancer on chemotherapy…the list goes on and on. In the dispensaries, I realized this was no longer just a business, it was necessary for the health of our community, for the people who suffer, the people who struggle, the people who are screaming inside the cavity of their bodies. I personally don’t use Ambien or Xanax for anxiety or even Advil. And I don’t really drink. Cannabis has replaced all these needs. I see a community growing larger in the pursuit of using cannabis as a substitute for medications and alcohol and opiates. I have been moved to tears many times.

International Cannabis Business Conference: What advice do you have for aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs?

Belushi: My advice to aspiring cannabis entrepreneurs is to stay out. The margins aren’t there yet. Between the fluctuation of the pricing of the pounds, the taxing, the banking, and the amount of initial capital, I would say don’t do it. Unless your passion overrides your pocketbook.

International Cannabis Business Conference: What is the biggest challenge facing the emerging cannabis industry today, in your opinion?

Belushi: The tens of thousands of nonviolent cannabis prisoners that are still in jail for the plant. That’s why I support Last Prisoner Project.

What do you have coming up that people should have on their radars?

Belushi: I have a lot of exciting stuff on the horizon. Follow me, my cannabis show ‘Growing Belushi,’ and my farm on social media and check out my website to keep up on all things Belushi. And, of course, join me in Berlin at the end of this month at the International Cannabis Business Conference where I will be doing a fireside chat, followed by a performance at the conference after-party. See you there!

International Cannabis Business Conference: What is the best way for folks to keep up on all of your cannabis industry pursuits?

Belushi: Through Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, and the website.