1. Jim Belushi on Season 3 of "Growing Belushi," Partnering with Mohawk Nation and Cannabis in Albania
We spoke with Jim Belushi in advance of Season 3 of Growing Belushi on Discovery. It's our Best TV Comedy of 2023. From the article:
"We just finished our 45th day of shooting Growing Belushi. We’re doing six episodes compared to three in Season 2. There was a 30% jump in audience from Season 1 to Season 2. Discovery has only had four shows in their history that have done that."
2. Jimmy Buffett's 'The Gummies Just Kicked In' Features Paul McCartney, Inspired by Macca's Wife
One of the last songs Buffett, who died in September, ever wrote was inspired by something Nancy Shevell said. From the article:
"When Nancy went to sit down she kind of stumbled a little bit and I said, ‘Whoa, are you OK? You OK?‘ And she said, ‘No, no, I’m OK. My gummy just kicked in.‘ And then I said, ‘Can I have that line?‘"
Jimmy Buffett's 1975 Smuggling Song: "A Pirate Looks at 40" was also popular
3. Flashback: Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s Pot and Heroin Busts in the '70s and '80s
The independent presidential candidate and scion of the Kennedy family, RFK Jr. has a rap sheet that includes several drug arrests. From the article:
Nearly 53 years ago on July 10, 1970, Kennedy and his cousin Robert Shriver were arrested for marijuana possession in Barnstable, MA on Cape Cod. Both were just 16 at the time... Thirteen years later on Sept. 17, 1983, Kennedy was charged with heroin posession in Rapid City, SD.
4. CelebStoner's 2023 Cannabis-Industry Events Guide
Our annual events guide, updated monthly, is always a Top 10 post. We noted more than 200 events and posted 4/20 and 7/10 guides as well.
5. The Top 42 Celebrity Cannabis Brands of 2023
While it was a soft year for celebrity cannabis brands, many did well as they expanded from state to state, like Khalifa Kush, Tical Official and Tyson 2.0.
6. 21 Shroom Scenes in Movies, from "Altered States" to "The Lord of the Rings"
Psychedelics are hot with mushrooms being the most popular. They often end up having a hallucinogenic role in movies. From the article:
We present movies that have featured mushrooms in some form, generally employed for the purpose of altering the film's plot. Still, such themes and scenes are pretty rare, far fewer than LSD.
RELATED: Elvis and Priscilla Take LSD in Bio-Pic
7. RIPs: Robert Platshorn and Orrin Bolton
Platshorn, a.k.a. Bobby Tuna, was a marijuana smuggler who got caught in the late-'70s and spent 29 years in jail. From the article:
He was one of the good guys who paid a heavy price because he loved providing Americans with great ganja back when the options were limited. For Bob, it was a seller's market until the DEA moved in..
The older brother of Michael Bolton, Orrin sang as well. He was a also a dedicated cannabis activist. From the article:
I met Orrin in the '90s when I worked at High Times. He visited us from New Haven often. He was a big cannabis advocate and a singer like his better-known brother. Friends called him "OB."
8. Delaware, Minnesota and Ohio Legalize Adult-Use Cannabis – Who Will Be Next?
This post was updated throughout the year. Three states passed adult-use legalization via the ballot box or legislatures in 2023. Oklahoma and several other states failed in their efforts. From the article:
Now that the Delaware, Minnesota and Ohio have passed legalization, there are 24 U.S. states with adult-use marijuana laws.
9. CelebStoners: Berner and Harrison Ford
Cookies co-founder Berner was in news for good and bad reasons. His Cookies empire continued to expand, but investors charged him and others at Cookies with conflicts of interest and accepting kickbacks, among other things.
Ford made a rare appearance on a TV series as a therapist in Shrinking. In one episode, he ate gummies to hilarous effect. It earned him a CelebStoner Award for Best TV Acor.
10. Willie Nelson to Become Third-Ever Country Musician Inducted into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
We announced Nelson's nomination in this February post and then followed up in November with Dave Matthews Inducts Willie Nelson Into Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with Several Weed References. From the first article:
Nelson, by far the oldest person on the 2023 ballot, is a shoo-in to be inducted.
And he was. A 2020 article about Nelson's Trusty Guitar, Trigger continued to rack up visits.
Popular Ghost Posts
Older posts that remain popular are dubbed "ghosts." Here are our Top 5 of 2023:
• Where Not to Go in Mexico: The 13 Most Dangerous States (2014)
• Tegrity Farms Cannabis Brand to Be Launched by South Park Team (2020)
• Five Steps for Pressing Rosin with a Hair Straightener (2019)
• Celebrating Bob Marley: His Best Ganja Songs and Spliff Pics (2021)
More 2023 Year-in-Review Articles
