Cann Campaign
To celebrate Pride month, queer-founded cannabis beverage giant Cann partnered with online cannabis market Weedmaps and a slew of celebrities to release an original song and music video dubbed “Taste So Good.”
The song and video feature an eclectic cast including MNEK, Gus Kenworthy, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Hayley Kiyoko, Vincint and Patricia Arquette, as well as several drag icons from “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” Kornbread, Kerri Colby, Jorgeous and Willow Pill.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, I caught up with Kerri Colby, Jorgeous and Willow Pill, winner of the latest season of “RuPaul's Drag Race,” and asked them about their relationship with cannabis and the plant’s relationship with the LGBTQIA+ community.
A ‘Jorgeous’ Relationship
“My history with cannabis started when I was too young for it to be legal. I started smoking when I was 18 just to have fun with friends,” says reigning champion Willow Pill – Willow Patterson, recommending people to wait till the legal age in their respective jurisdictions to commence cannabis consumption. “These days, I use it less so for fun and more so for body pain and relaxation. Plus, it helps me sleep and helps my insomnia.”
“Cannabis has helped me in my creative process over the years to come up with some of my most absurd drag projects,” she supplements.
Cannabis also came into the life of Mexican-American Jorge Meza, a.k.a. Jorgeous, at a young age, right after high school. And just like Willow, Jorge’s relationship with cannabis “has evolved so much over time.”
Jorge explains: “It used to be like once every blue moon to now consuming every day.”
He remembers “being young and not being able to handle being high in public.” Nowadays, however, he goes everywhere stoned out of his mind, he discloses, unapologetically.
Cann Campaign
Elyse Alessandra Anderson, better known as Kerri Colby, has a close-knit relationship with weed as well. And a long-standing one too.
She was first introduced to weed in high school. “Funny enough, I thought it was something that brought me joy when I was going through depression, anxiety and pain of home life,” she voices. “I realized it was something for me at an early age, and I’ve always been recreational with cannabis and have treated it as a form of therapy. I’ve had trouble with anxiety, so it gives me a moment to breathe, go to my happy place, and get through the day.”
Interestingly, Kerri worked at a dispensary last year. “While working there it was amazing to learn about different stains, products, drinks, edibles, flowers, pre-rolls, resin and those things,” she declares.
From Just Say No, To ‘Say Gay’
The cannabis community and the LGBTQIA+ community have been close allies for decades. From the 80’s and the fight for cannabis as a way to treat AIDS-related symptoms to Dennis Peron and Allen Ginsberg’s advocacy, and even Harvey Milk’s activism, gay rights and marijuana legalization have been inevitably intertwined.
“Cannabis has become more prevalent in the queer community. The community is often trying to find something new or a new norm, and once people hear positive reviews the queer community is generally your trendsetter for a lot of things,” says Kerri.
“I’ve seen cannabis become more of a recreational thing across the board, and the more that the community uses it, you see more improvement in people. The ‘California sober’ people have cut out things like drinking or things with addictive tendencies and replaced it with an occasional cannabis [consumption] and that keeps them at the perfect state of balance and helps get things done today and take the edge off,” she continues.
For Willow, the herb also helps keep things light for people who often live tough lives. “I think it’s fun and helps with social interaction.”
Jorgeous seems to agree. “It’s hard being fabulous. Doing Drag Shows, dancing on stage, meeting fans, it takes a lot of energy out of you… and smoking cannabis helps to keep my anxiety down.”
For Willow, cannabis is also a social justice issue. “It’s important that it becomes legal all over the country so that queer and trans people, especially those of color, are not incarcerated for its use,” the drag queen states.
The Campaign
Circling back on the “Say Gay” campaign launched by Weedmaps and Cann, the drag icons explain their motivations.
Willow jumped on board to support the “small queer-led group” that Cann is, arguing the team has “been doing a lot of great work these past few years.”
“And you know, if they love drag, I love them,” she adds.
Kerri simply loves the product. “With Cann, I don’t have necessarily smoke it [cannabis]. It’s a low dosage, so it gives me a calmness that I enjoy but not to a point where I’m not able to get through my day. The drinks give me a good dosage throughout the day without knocking me out.”
Patricia Arquette & Jorgeous
Jorgeous concurs: “they are so bomb and definitely get you lifted.”
Patricia Arquette’s involvement was also key. “I live for Patricia Arquette,” she discloses.
And so was Weedmaps’. Jorgeous has “been wanting to partner up with Weedmaps for a really long time.” In fact, every time she visits a city where weed is legal, she turns to Weedmaps. “It’s the first app I jump on to find me nearby dispensaries and help me find sick deals.”
Jorge actually dreams of one day having his own brand. “In the future I would love to have my own joint that I could give people, a ‘Jorgeous Blunt,’ because I know people would live for it. But the impact that cannabis has had on me has changed me forever. I definitely feel a lot calmer about everything, and I have ADHD so smoking cannabis helps me live a more peaceful life,” he concludes.
