6 of the Dopest Cannabis Influencers in 2019

Every industry has its own influencers. There are beauty influencers, wellness influencers – and weed influencers.

Weed influencers use social media to post about anything weed related. Sometimes that’s reviewing specific strains or products, recommending stores in their areas to get products from, or reviewing equipment or edibles.

Here’s our curated list from the Sapling team: The dopest cannabis influencers list this year is out.

Seth Rogen

Comedian Seth Rogen has built a career off of starring in stoner comedies like Pineapple Express and This Is The End, so it’s only natural that he would use his talent and fame to spread the word about cannabis. He’s made it clear during his career that he regularly uses cannabis & is passionate about the plant. With 6.6 million followers on Instagram, Rogen might not be the world’s most widely followed celebrity, but he has built up a strong and loyal social media following.

Hoping to capitalize off of his reputation as a cannabis connoisseur, Rogen and his fried/business partner Evan Goldberg have teamed up with the world’s largest cannabis company, Canopy Growth, to launch a new hemp and cannabis company called Houseplant.

“Houseplant is the result of years of experience and dedication, with each element and expression thoughtfully designed to make it easier for people to learn to love cannabis as much as Houseplant does,” the company said in a press release.

Dan Bilzerian

Dan Bilzerian, owner of the cannabis brand Ignite, is perhaps one of the biggest influencers in the cannabis industry. Formally “ The King of Instagram”, Dan Bilzerian was one of the more controversial people during Instagram’s infant stages. Bilzerian busted onto the social media heavily in 2013, though his primary job was not in the world of instagram to begin with. For some background, he was originally a former US Navy Seal who went on to make a successful career for himself as a professional poker player. 

Often a polarizing figure within the industry, Bilzerian’s social media pages are filled with bikini-clad models in various states of undress, exotic locations, and more often than not, cannabis. While some may characterize his social media presence as the epitome of toxic masculinity, with more than 26 million followers on Instagram, it’s hard to argue that he doesn’t have a strong following.

Bilzerian became one of the world’s most successful professional poker players, winning over $50 million in a single year. Despite not adhering to any social norms — and continuing to be unapologetically himself — he developed a reputation within the gambling community for always doing what he said he would do, a mindset that he’s carried with him into numerous investment opportunities, business ventures, and personal pursuits — creating an empire. Now, he’s dedicated to building a brand in the cannabis industry to live the Ignite lifestyle.

Michael Straumietis “Big Mike”

Big Mike is the CEO of Advanced Nurtients which is the acknowledged worldwide leader in hydroponics manufacturer research and development for marijuana-specific nutrients and supplements.

Mike grew up in Portland, Oregon to a lower-middle class family. His father died when he was a teenager and his mother became a drug-addict. When he was 19, he started a lawn fertilizing company and by the time he was 23, he started growing marijuana. He has overseen the cultivation of over a million pot plants, been the target of a federal manhunt by the DEA and U.S. Marshals, and lived on the run for almost a decade under seven different identities. 

In 1996, Big Mike took $25,000 he’d made from a small illegal grow in Temecula, California, snuck into Canada with a fake passport and built a growing and trafficking organization 200 people strong. He then used his growing and business expertise to start his company, Advanced Nutrients. Today, Advanced Nutrients is the maker of the #1 selling cannabis-specific nutrient line in the world, with $90 million a year in sales from 93 countries.

As of May 2018, Mike had over 1.7 million followers on Instagram. 

Joel Hradecky “CustomGrow420”

Joel is a popular YouTuber & cannabis influencer based out of Snowmass Village, CO. Not long past, YouTube strengthened their policies and this saw a lot of WeedTubers being kicked out of the space after receiving concurrent strikes. The king wasn’t left unscathed, his channel was deleted as well.

There was such a loud uproar from fans as some WeedTubers sought alternative routes to continue ‘educating’ their followers. On the 6th of June, 2018, YouTube apparently restored some channels including Customgrow420’s but a lot of ‘insightful tutorials’ on smoking cannabis had been lost. Some ardent followers swear that history was deleted and a time gap created.

Deepak Anand

Noted global cannabis industry thought leader Deepak Anand was named Vice President of Business Development and Government Relations with the prominent Mississauga, Ontario, consulting firm Cannabis Compliance Inc. last fall, bringing with him nearly two decades of experience in the health and nonprofit sectors. Previously the Vice President for Zenabis (International Herbs Medical Marijuana Ltd) and before that, Executive Director for the Canadian National Medical Marijuana Association, the policy shaper continues to be an unwavering poster of public policy and cannabis business information online.

Within the global cannabis sector, Mr. Anand has worked with senior government officials, politicians, policy makers, health professional organizations, clinical practitioners, educators, investors, patients as well as producers. He has also served on the boards of various pharmaceutical associations across Canada, the United States and Europe.

Currently, Mr. Anand serves on the boards of the Center for Medicinal Cannabis in the UK and he is also on the board of CFAMM (Canadians for Fair Access to Medical Marijuana) and the National Association of Cannabis Professionals. He was most recently appointed as Vice President for NORML Canada (National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws).

Tommy Chong

Tommy Chong is a Canadian-American actor, writer, director, musician, activist for cannabis-rights and comedian. He is known for his marijuana-themed Cheech & Chong comedy albums and movies with Cheech Marin, as well as playing the character Leo on Fox’s That ’70s Show.

In 2003 Chong became caught up in two American investigations, code-named Operation Pipe Dreams and Operation Headhunter, which tried to trace drug traffic and users through businesses selling drug paraphernalia, mostly bongs.

Most recently, he picked Diamond CBD to produce his hemp-based CBD products Chong’s Choice, and while his Twitter feed is more politically motivated, on Instagram, he’s cannabis 24/7 with funny memes, vintage photos and news about ganja.

On screen and off Tommy became a vocal advocate for his favorite herb. In a time where cannabis had to be talked about in whispers, Tommy was a loud voice for the advocacy movement, working tirelessly to destigmatize the use of this healing plant.