TOKE IT TO THE LIMIT
Jim Belushi expands his cannabis empire in Season 2 of ‘Growing Belushi’
JIM Belushi is high on his plans to expand his thriving cannabis empire as Season 2 of “Growing Belushi” takes root. “We were always on a professional level in terms of the quality that we were growing — very specific, very artisan, boutique,” said Belushi, 67. “But when we got that Blues Brothers [cannabis] branding last season from Danny [Aykroyd] and Judy [Belushi Pisano], it was selling like mad. We ran out of inventory. So that kind of forced my hand, and we had to expand.”
Season 1 of “Growing Belushi,” which premiered in August 2020, introduced viewers to the veteran actor’s cannabis-growing business, Belushi’s Farm, 93 acres located in Southern Oregon’s “Banana Belt.”
In Season 2, premiering Jan. 19 on Discovery, Belushi and his crew make the necessary adjustments to the farm and start growing the business nationwide.
“In the second season you’re seeing the expansion of the farm. [Specialty hydroponic and organic garden center] GrowGeneration helped me … and we rebuilt the farm. We expanded not only in our inventory in Oregon but then other states became interested.” Belushi’s Farm product is now also available in Oklahoma, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Michigan and Arizona. “And we partnered with Bhang Chocolate in California,” he said. “We did a co-op with them with [cannabis infused] Blues Brothers chocolate.”
While Belushi attributes a portion of his booming business to the visibility afforded by “Growing Belushi,” he’s also very proud of how hard he’s worked to establish Belushi’s Farm as a bona fide, respected business on his home turf.
“You gotta remember that I’m in Oregon,” he said. “It took me three years to gain credibility in this market. They know their cannabis here, and a Hollywood guy coming in with an autograph and a selfie doesn’t impress anyone. I really had to earn my stripes. It had to do with the quality of the cannabis and me keeping my word until Oregon embraced me as a grower and professional farmer.
“It was the perfect storm, in that sense.”
Season 2 will also include several celebrity appearances. Aykroyd drops by again — “I had some issues with a dispensary owner and Danny solves that for me,” Belushi said — and celebrity chef and Food Network star Guy Fieri. “He was doing a tour from Washington down to Santa Rosa with buses, campers, and filming a show about his family and friends traveling and stopping places and camping and going to restaurants and cooking out.
“He called and said, ‘I’m right on the 5 [Interstate], man, I wanna see your farm,” Belushi said. “He came with 18 campers, three trucks and 30 people. We have a teeny cafe called the Angel Cafe — it’s one table, the food is free, reservations are difficult, the landlord is an a--hole and Chris is the cook,” he added, alluding to his cousin, introduced last season. “He said, ‘It’s my time to shine.’”
Also returning to “Growing Belushi” are Ben Bilzerian and a new grower named Anthony. “He’s really a character and is involved with building two new greenhouses,” Belushi said. “And Larry Joe Campbell from [Belushi’s old ABC sitcom] ‘According to Jim’ shows up one day. I’m like, ‘What are you doing here?’ and he said, ‘You said any time I was in the area to stop by.’ That was like five years ago. He turns out to be the guest who wouldn’t leave.
“My kids also come up to the farm,” he said. “It’s like ‘Succession,’ with two of them seeing that this is starting to be a successful business and I got these two kids fighting for ownership of the farm and I’m like, ‘I’m not dead!’” And, Belushi said, he’s still a “lightweight” when it comes to sampling his product. “I really use it for medicine; I use like 2.5 mg. of Bhang chocolate to go to sleep or at the end of the day if maybe I have a little anxiety. We have so many unique genetics on the farm. The ones we brought from Columbia last year, we’re just harvesting them now, Santa Marta Gold, which was the first influx of great weed in the ’70s. Most marijuana has really high THC, very low terpenes [aromatic compounds] and very low CBD. This particular brand has a medium THC, which I like, and an equal amount of CBD and the terepenes are very high.
“So the effect of this particular cannabis for me, as a lightweight, is perfect.”
Belushi continues to act — he just finished shooting a movie with Marcia Gay Harden called “Evolution” — and said his farm aligns with his personal credo.
“I’ve thought about this. My purpose, as an actor and entertainer, has always been to make people feel good, and it’s the same thing with cannabis,” he said. “To me it’s just a natural extension. [Cannabis] makes people feel good from headaches, Alzheimer’s, depression, seizures, PTSD or with their lover, going to a concert. There’s nothing wrong about people feeling good … and this, to me, inn my opinion, is the safest one … natural, spiritual, and it leads to healing them. So there’s great purpose behind the comedy and the information of ‘Growing Belushi.’
“I call it ‘educainment.’ ”