Beyond the Brand: Ambassadors Driving Cannabis Culture and Reform

In the modern U.S. cannabis landscape, a handful of ambassadors and influencers have become the faces of the movement, helping consumers navigate products, policy, and culture. While there’s no official ranking of “top” voices, several stand out for their reach, credibility, and staying power.

It’s impossible to talk about cannabis ambassadors without starting with Snoop Dogg. The hip-hop icon has spent decades normalizing weed in mainstream music and pop culture, and later turned that image into real infrastructure with brands like Leafs By Snoop and his newer lifestyle retail concept S.W.E.D., which pair products with storytelling, design, and experiential retail. His long-term consistency has made him a first point of reference for new consumers and even for people shaping policy.

On the business side, few people embody “from legacy to legal” like Berner. The Bay Area rapper and entrepreneur co-founded Cookies, which has grown from a local cultivation project into one of the world’s most recognized cannabis brands, known for proprietary genetics, streetwear-driven merchandising, and social-impact initiatives. Berner’s personal story—starting at a San Francisco dispensary counter and building a global company—has turned him into a blueprint for aspiring cannabis founders.

Wiz Khalifa represents the next generation of celebrity brand builders. His laid-back, weed-centric persona helped define 2010s stoner culture, and his Khalifa Kush brand now delivers that identity through flower, vapes, edibles, and more in multiple legal markets. For many younger consumers, Wiz is the bridge between music, lifestyle, and what “good” cannabis should feel like.

Seth Rogen plays a different but equally influential role. Houseplant, the brand he co-founded, blends design-forward home goods with carefully curated cannabis and low-dose THC beverages, reframing weed as something stylish, intentional, and living-room ready rather than countercultural. Rogen’s approachable persona and emphasis on aesthetics have helped win over curious but cautious newcomers.

Medical cannabis advocacy has its own ambassadors, and few are as respected as Montel Williams. Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in the 1990s, Williams has openly discussed how medical cannabis helps manage his symptoms and has pushed for reform, patient access, and veteran protections at the national level. His voice bridges the gap between patient stories and policymakers, humanizing debates that can otherwise feel abstract.

Social equity and justice also have powerful champions. Wanda James, co-founder and CEO of Simply Pure in Denver, is widely recognized as the first Black woman to own a licensed dispensary in the United States and has spent years calling out racial disparities in cannabis arrests and ownership. Now a public official and congressional candidate, she uses her platform to push for fairer regulations, expungement, and opportunity across the industry.

Together, these ambassadors and influencers do far more than sell products. They destigmatize consumption, model responsible use, champion patients, and keep equity and reform in the conversation. For consumers trying to understand a rapidly evolving market, their voices offer a starting point—and a reminder that cannabis culture is ultimately built by people who are willing to put their names, stories, and reputations on the line.