From pot publicity stunts to art installations and commercial growing operations, we chat to three of the country’s leading wizards of weed who are fast becoming the catalysts in the fight to legalise marijuana in Oz…
In the burgeoning Australian cannabis industry, there are a number of personalities that have been staples in the small-yet-passionate community. Driven individuals who have been promoting legalisation and sensible cannabis reform for over a decade, and moving the conversation to the mainstream. Part of these efforts have been the public art installations by the Who Are We Hurting? team, consisting of artists and advocates from The Craze Collective company and athletes from the Ballin’ On A Budget media company. They have been responsible for a number of large-scale cannabis installations and publicity stunts on April 20 (aka 420, the international day for cannabis-related protests and events) for the past five years.
Cannabis legalisation may seem inevitable at this point, as we see the acceptance of cannabis (not only medicinally, but recreationally) become more and more accepted by the international community. For those in the know, it can be frustrating watching Australia lag behind our peers in this area, especially if you’ve dedicated much of your life to promoting legalisation or understanding the biology behind cannabis production. You’d be hard pressed to find many people more “in the know” than these local Kings of Cannabis.
Modern entrepreneur, and former pro skier, Will has focused his platform and media savvy into the growing cannabis industry. Having built the lifestyle brand Ballin’ On A Budget from the ground up, Will has moved on to develop and own cannabis companies in both Australia and the U.S.. He is also one half of the infamous Who Are We Hurting? collective who have been performing grandiose publicity stunts to promote the legalisation of cannabis in Australia for the past five years. His crazy antics can be seen via his Instagram feed — it’s as though he inhabits a Hunter S. Thompson novel, only with crazy publicity stunts, less inhibited females and dangerous stunts and antics.
Why do you love cannabis?
I have had a love for cannabis since I was 15. I first started smoking it while I was at a ski training camp in Whistler, Canada. Cannabis has and always will be one of my greatest joys in life. It makes every single thing in my life better – sex, skiing, surfing, travel, eating and going to the gym. It has also given me almost my entire friend group. Everywhere I have travelled whether chasing snow, waves or women, I’m always looking to get on. Being the cheeky, spontaneous and outspoken character that I am, I usually always meet the local guy who runs the scene and they become my new best friend. This has translated into making my core group of lifelong friends, who are all bosses of the highest order, and I thank God that the cannabis plant was created. Without it, I wouldn’t be in the position I’m in right now.
Tell us a bit about what exactly you are doing in the cannabis space right now.
We have launched a few cannabis companies in the U.S., including a weed dispensary and a hemp for pets company. One will be a Californian-based lifestyle-focused cannabis company called Fully Lit, which will be inline to compete with the giants of the industry like Dan Bilzerian’s Ignite. Starting with vapes and then edibles, we will be focused on making the best tasting and quality THC Gummies in the world as well as amazing vapes, then expanding into other fields of cannabis as time goes on. We are also launching a health and wellness brand called Byron Bay Biologicals with the sub-brand of Byron Bay CBD, producing an array of organic Hemp and CBD health products from tinctures to sports and pain relief creams, and beauty products. Our aim is to make Byron Bay Biologicals the premier brand in the cannabis health space. Considering I live in the northern NSW area, a place that exudes a hippie vibe of spiritual tranquillity with the best that nature has to offer, our products will reflect this and take that same vibe and spirit to the world. Other than that, we have some future plans for farming and manufacturing facilities here in Australia and abroad — and some secret technology that could potentially revolutionise the extraction side of hemp, CBD, and Cannabis. But these projects are top secret, and I am not at liberty to discuss them yet!
What cannabis events and activations have you and your companies been involved with this year?
The past year has been a long one, with COVID cancelling a lot of industry events and putting a stop to travel; but things are finally starting to slowly go back to normal. We recently caused a stir by taking half a million dollars in real cash with armed security guards to have a mock-up press conference on the steps of Parliament house, the cash was meant to represent a portion of the daily excise the Australian government could be making if they legalised recreational cannabis and taxed it. With cannabis being decriminalised in Canberra last January for personal use, we really commend the ACT government for going out on a limb and standing firm against a lot of opposition to legalise something that should’ve been legalised a long time ago, even if it’s just for personal use. We still have a long way to go, but after all the protests and stunts we have done, such as the Who Are We Hurting? collective, it’s great to finally see some results. Hopefully, this will set a new trend for the future of cannabis in Australia.
You co-own a cannabis dispensary in the U.S.. Do you think we’ll be seeing dispensaries in Australia any time soon?
Yes, we opened our first recreational cannabis dispensary last November. We are looking into opening our second one potentially later this year in the Eastern Sierras of California. I’ve been hearing a lot of good things in the U.S., and a lot of people in the Cannabis industry are predicting a potential huge boom for the Australian cannabis industry. I personally think medical dispensaries will soon become a more common sight before recreational ones do – I know that there are a few on the Gold Coast popping up, as well as in Sydney and Melbourne (and hopefully in other major cities around Australia). I am of the opinion that the Australian government is currently sucking on the tit of the massive billion-dollar pharmaceutical industry and they don’t want to legalise cannabis in Australia. Until this changes, I don’t see it becoming legalised here, but I have hope for the future! The only way to initiate change is to get the politicians to actually care about what people think, and tell them if they don’t change their laws they will lose their place in the government because we, the people, will vote them out. There must be power to the people. So instead of talking about it, write to your local member of parliament, go to protests, talk to your neighbour. Spread the word!
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