Carmelo Anthony’s cannabis crossover is blazing new trails in Oregon

Carmelo Anthony’s latest assist isn’t happening on the hardwood. Aside from podcasting and appearance duties, the NBA legend’s been dishing dimes in West Coast grow rooms these days, where he’s quietly lurked behind the scenes for some time – and he’s got an all-star team backing him up.

His new venture, Grand National Agency, is less about slapping celebrity names on pre-rolls and more about reimagining how cannabis brands grow and thrive. At the helm is Melo himself, alongside cannabis veteran Jesce Horton and creative powerhouse Brandon Drew Jordan Pierce, aka “Beedy,” who’s crafted campaigns for the likes of LeBron James and Snoop Dogg.

The cohort is trying to prove that true game-changers don’t just put their name on a product, they redefine the game.

To do so, it’ll take Melo’s business acumen and vast network, Horton’s cannabis know-how, and Beedy’s branding magic to elevate craft cannabis brands under their umbrella. It’s about authenticity and impact, which Horton believes is always better for business than, say, the go-go expansion of cannabis’ past (and present).

The name itself, Grand National, was inspired by the iconic muscle car known for its unexpected power in a modest package.

“It’s my favorite car,” Horton told Green Market Report. “We had an old Grand National and it just got totaled earlier this year. So, one dies and one comes to life. I think it’s only appropriate, right? You can only have one Grand National in your life, essentially.”

However, the choice of name isn’t just about their shared admiration for American steel.

“It’s about not forgetting the history, the legacy of the cannabis industry,” Horton said. “And it’s about figuring out a way to make sure that we shine a light on it. We love it, we represent it, and we bring it to the forefront.”

‘We’re trying to solve problems’

Horton and Anthony’s paths crossed when Melo signed to play for Portland’s NBA team in 2019. Their connection, facilitated by a mutual acquaintance, quickly evolved beyond casual conversation.

“He was following what I was doing from a community standpoint with MCBA and other organizations, and he really loved the product that LOWD was putting out,” Horton explained.

Anthony would drop by the grow, soaking in Horton’s passion and expertise. “I’d tell him about my vision for what LOWD was gonna do in the future,” Horton said. “Before he left, he eventually said, ‘Hey, let’s try to figure out a way to do something together.’”

The result is a playbook being written by Melo, Horton, and Beedy that values craft over mass production and community over profit.

“We’re trying to solve problems,” Horton said. “The problems for brands like mine, like LOWD, other brands that I know that are successful in their mature markets and have the SOPs, have the products, have the genetics… sometimes they don’t have the connection to these operators in these other states.”

Take STAYME7O, Melo’s debut cannabis line in Oregon, a market Horton describes as “the toughest in the country.”

Rather than focusing on just another product to get folks high, the team wants to bring scientific rigor to the product development. That effort is being led by Horton, who recently earned a plant science degree from Cornell.

“We’re looking at cannabinoids and terpenes that are focused on specific effects,” he said. But STAYME7O is also about purpose, he said. A portion of its proceeds will support NuProject, a nonprofit helping communities harmed by the war on drugs.

It’s a commitment to social justice that runs deep for Horton, who founded the Minority Cannabis Business Association and leads Ben’s Best, a give-back cannabis company started by Ben Cohen of Ben & Jerry’s fame.

“We’re not coming in and throwing weed that we bought and slapping it into a cool package,” Horton said. “That’s what’s happened in the past. What we’ve done with Melo, to start, is a case study of what we’re going to do with other celebrity brands.”