Carmelo Anthony has now entered the cannabis chat.
Basketball legend Anthony joins the weed industry with his own cannabis brand and agency launching on April 20, 2024. The 10-time NBA All-Star played 19 seasons in his career, including tenures on the LA Lakers, Denver Nuggets, and Trail Blazers. Melo’s weed venture will be on shelves in Oregon, to start.
StayMe7o Cannabis (pronounced Stay Melo) is the first brand launch under the umbrella of a new cannabis-focused agency called Grand National, built with Lowd Cannabis’ CEO and Founder Jesce Horton and Chief Creative Director Brandon Drew Jordan Pierce — aka “Beedy.” The agency will focus on brand creation, expansion, strategy, and marketing efforts. What can consumers expect? Perhaps an aesthetic à la Nike, where Pierce was once a creative ad writer.
Cannabis has been a part of the former NBA All-Star’s life for a long time. “I was always into the benefits and the science and education of cannabis,” says Anthony. “Over the years, I was studying it, paying attention to the industry, seeing where it was going, the trajectory, taking in the feedback. Given all the research, why not do it? Talk about the benefits of cannabis, what to consume, how to consume.”
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There is genuine top-shelf quality weed behind Anthony for this endeavor, thanks to Horton. Lowd’s cannabis is spectacular. The small-batch grow is sold out consistently in a highly competitive market with established, connoisseur consumers. Based in Portland, Oregon, Horton is also a fierce advocate for black entrepreneurs in the space as the founder of the Minority Cannabis Business Association.
What does the name Grand National mean to Anthony? “It’s something new and fresh,” says Anthony. “We understand what the value proposition is. I grew up on the Grand National car, we just wanted to tap into something that was very timeless, combining the businesses of all three of us and what we bring to the table.” Anthony says his new partners’ business acumen, cannabis, and marketing expertise are necessary for making a statement in a crowded marketplace.
Pierce echoes this sentiment. “The cannabis space is crowded AF,” says Pierce. “Our goal at Grand National is simple—we strive to tap into the inarguable truth of our client brands, and bring them to market in a way that allows them to stand out, and plant their own unique flags in the game.”
Anthony is hands-on in the grow. He works closely with the cultivation team and tests genetics for his line. He was introduced to Horton when he first moved to Portland through a mutual friend. “At Lowd, we practice a mix of traditional hydroponic and organic methodologies to help our plants reach peak performance,” says Horton. “This includes beneficial teas, organic foliar sprays, and clean inputs using the industry’s most efficient equipment. All of this focused on consistently premium and potent flowers.”
The basketball player and philanthropist began utilizing cannabis in recovery for sports. He recalls using tinctures, CBD, and topicals, trying to figure out what was the right product for healing and soreness. “As I started getting out of the NBA, I started studying and realized how important it is to understand all of the cannabinoids in the plant, as well. What is the cannabinoid, how does it affect the body? I dove into ways we could create this flower, let’s create seeds that are really effective. We can test these seeds out as well. Starting in Portland, we can talk directly to the consumer to the community, they respect us.”
StayMe7o will be on shelves at two Native-owned and Black-owned dispensaries in Oregon, Natural Wonders and Green Muse. These shops will be the first to carry StayMe7o Cannabis following its inaugural launch. This is purposeful, of course, as Anthony and Horton seek to uplift the disproportionate amount of cannabis businesses nationwide that are owned by minorities. The amount of non-white-owned weed businesses in 2023 was 19%, recent data from MJBizDaily finds.
StayMe7o is also working in partnership with NuProject, giving a portion of its proceeds to the nonprofit organization assisting communities harmed by War on Drugs founded by Jeanette Ward. Anthony is passionate about representing and uplifting black entrepreneurs in this space.
“This is a space with a long history of black entrepreneurs getting penalized and judged, arrested, and locked up for cannabis,” says Anthony. “Now for it to be legal, it’s only right to open those doors back up for those who want to be in this game. Who are already in this game. Instead of it being so singular, how do we come together and work together toward a common goal? Everyone has cannabis out here, what separates you?”
Anthony says he wants to go to every state, when regulations allow and details plans to take it across the country when the timing is right. “When you look at it, I’m always like, I want to go there. Every state is different. It’s not that simple I like to tap into the places I’m familiar with, I have a relationship with. The brand loyalty, again, the community trusts me and I trust them. Advise in the community. Stay Melo is, bringing the community together. I want to do the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia areas, including Baltimore. I want to bring it to New York of course. There are other places that are slowly starting to open up. At least we have this proof of concept and know this actually works. We’d like to be international, depending on what grows we work with.”
He believes the NBA and the sports worlds are finally coming around to cannabis and cannabinoids as recovery tools. “I think so. You can’t deny the science. You can’t deny the data,” says Anthony. “If you’re using data for everything else, I don’t see why you shouldn’t use data and science for cannabinoids, it’s very effective. It’s not harmful. Cannabis only enhances the way our bodies heal—recovery is better, mental health is better, your overall health is better. Cannabis industry and sports, I do believe you will start to see more collaborations and partnerships in the near future. It’s an industry you cannot avoid. You have to address it.”
Melo and Horton have been working on genetics for the last two years at Lowd, perfecting the three cultivars that will be dropped. “We’ve got what he calls a ‘Triple Threat’ of effects aimed at Morning, Daytime and Evening moods,” says Horton. “We have dozens of varieties that we will release under these categories and they all bring something unique to the curated menu.”
Anthony is dedicated to research and development, smoking his own weed. “I’m with my own strains,” says Anthony. “I’m trying these strains we are growing, not just bringing strains to the market, but really fine-tuning them. I want people to feel the effects of that strain. We are still trying to perfect these seeds and these strains more and more over time. People will be highly impressed with these flavors.”
Working with Anthony, Grand National and StayMe70 co-founder Pierce describes their partnership as “effortlessly dope. I always like to come to the table with a very precise vision and rationale behind it, and Melo has shown major trust and belief in my process.”
Pierce has created award-winning campaigns and films, collaborating with athletes from LeBron James to Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, and more. He gifts marketing advice for other entrepreneurs in the space: “Embrace the old school approach of building and fostering in-person relationships with industry players,” says Pierce. “When it comes to current restrictions, there are still ways to talk about your brand utilizing social media. I like studying other brands in our space and outside of our space, knowing I don’t know it all and can always pick up a new trick here or there.”
Building Grand National and its inaugural brand StayMe7o felt organic for the trio of entrepreneurs. “It almost felt meant to be,” says Pierce. “Having worked with Melo’s draft classmate in LeBron and then other fellow faces of the league in KD and Kobe, it was only right Melo got added to the reel and resume. What’s even better in this case, is we’re partnering with Jesce to bring a new product and business model to the market. Powerful stuff.”
