A Budding Partnership: Actor Woody Harrelson Journeys to Emerald Triangle’s Cannabis Farms

Woody Harrelson, a renowned American actor, just visited the heart of Southern Humboldt County’s cannabis farms. The actor, recipient of numerous prestigious accolades including a Primetime Emmy Award, three Academy Award nominations, and four Golden Globe Award nominations, isn’t just pursuing a newfound hobby; he’s using his celebrity status to advocate for cannabis reform and regenerative agriculture. With a camera crew in tow, Harrelson visited several farms in the region, including Briceland Forest Farms, Ridgeline Farms, CannaCountry Farms and Huckleberry Hill Farms in Humboldt County (and some in Mendocino County), as part of a PR trip to capture footage for his dispensary, The Woods, located in West Hollywood, Los Angeles. Read about this new type of lounge/dispensary here.

The Hollywood Star Is Also a Cannabis Advocate

Woody Harrelson’s journey into the world of cannabis is not a recent development. Harrelson, a member of the Advisory Board of NORML which seeks to reform marijuana laws, owns The Woods, a dispensary in West Hollywood, which has given him firsthand insight into the intricacies of the cannabis industry. This visit to Southern Humboldt County appears to be a strategic move to highlight the importance of small farm, sungrown marijuana and advocate for the sustainable practices that underpin the industry.

According to Daniel Stein, the owner of Briceland Forest Farms, “Woody owns a dispensary in LA, and they are wanting to showcase small farm, sungrown herb. This was a PR trip with a camera crew to get footage of him in gardens and with farmers that sell herb in his shop. The shop is The Woods in West Hollywood.”

A Shared Vision for Cannabis Reform and Regenerative Agriculture

Briceland Forest Farms, a unique combination of marijuana and vegetable cultivation, was one of the farms visited by the Hollywood actor.

Stein noted with the joy of farmer who appreciates the vibrance of food picked fresh from the field, “He was really into the food.”

Stein explained, “Woody is a vegan who appreciates raw food a lot. It was really neat to host him on our farm in September…We wandered around the farm and addition to smelling the weed, he ate everything from fruit to sweet corn and carrots picked there.”

Stein said that he and his wife have loved Harrelson’s work for decades. “We’ve been fans forever…I remember seeing Woody Harrelson, I believe close to 20 years ago, at the Hemp fest in Arcata and being wowed that a celebrity was using his platform for this.”

Stein who says he isn’t the type to get star struck explained that it was fun to host the star. “We have gotten used to hosting people on our farm—at least, for being hermits that like gardening in the woods, we’ve gotten used to it,” he told us. “Woody was down to earth.” Stein went onto say he appreciated the Hollywood personality’s commitment to the environment. “This person is famous and has used his platform to promote regenerative agriculture with his project Kiss the Ground.”

This collaboration between Harrelson, the dispensary/lounge, and local farms has been a significant step toward promoting regenerative agriculture and sustainable cannabis cultivation methods, drawing attention to the importance of preserving the environment while producing high-quality cannabis products.

Relatively smaller farms in the area collaborate with well-known figures like Woody Harrelson to advance sustainable practices in the cannabis industry and advocate for much-needed reform at the legal level–also to find a market for their bud. Hopefully, by showcasing the beauty and value of sun-grown cannabis cultivated on small farms, Harrelson will emphasize the unique qualities and flavors that emerge from a commitment to regenerative agriculture.

Stein told us, “We’ve been on the shelf at the Woods since the opening.” But now, he said, “They are really trying to hone down their focus into small sungrown family farms. This visit was very much for Woody himself to see and experience the farms they were promoting from and also create some media around the visit.”

Southern Humboldt County’s Role in Cannabis Advocacy

Stein said this visit took a lot of work from locals to pull off. He thanked Johnny Casali and Rose [@r_o_w_z]  from Huckleberry Farms, Ted Blair from CannaCountry Farms and the Benbow Inn that provided Woody Harrelson with a place to stay.

He especially thanked Laura Lasseter of the Southern Humboldt Business & Visitors Bureau which played a vital role in hosting this event, underscoring the region’s significance in the cannabis industry and the larger push for cannabis reform. Humboldt County has long been renowned for its high-quality cannabis production, and with the support of advocates like Woody Harrelson, it’s becoming a symbol of responsible and sustainable cultivation practices.

Harrelson’s visit to cannabis farms in Southern Humboldt County serves as a example of the positive impact that celebrities can have on important issues like cannabis reform and regenerative agriculture. By using his platform to raise awareness about sustainable cannabis cultivation and supporting small farms, Harrelson can help to shape an environmentally conscious and ethically responsible cannabis industry that ideally supports small farms. And the small farmers of Southern Humboldt can shape the agricultural practices and cannabis industry of the wider world.