Bob Marley's family launch first global cannabis brand

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Bob Marley's family has launched what it calls the first global cannabis brand based on the life and legacy of the Jamaican icon.

Marley Natural will begin selling ground cannabis, creams and accessories inspired by the reggae legend from early next year. Although the drug itself will only be available to adults over the age of 21 in areas where the sale of cannabis is legal.

"My dad would be so happy to see people understanding the healing power of the herb," Marley's daughter Cedella told The Guardian. "He viewed the herb as something spiritual that could awaken our well-being, deepen our reflection, connect us to nature and liberate our creativity."

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Bob Marley died of cancer in 1981 and spent much of life championing the benefits of marijuana as part of his Rastafarian lifestyle, reportedly smoking up to a pound of it a week.

The venture is a result of a deal made between Marley's family and a US private equity firm, Privateer Holdings. As a result, "some may doubt that [the] humble Rastafarian would support the frank capitalism of Marley Natural," writes NBC's Tony Dokoupil.

However, his widow Rita Marley insists it was what her husband spent his life fighting for. "You can depend on Bob. He's 100 percent behind what is happening. He's happy because this is what we dreamed of," she said.

"There is probably no better known cultural icon related to cannabis than Bob Marley," said Brendan Kennedy, chief executive of Privateer Holdings. "He called cannabis 'the herb', and he said the herb is the healing of the nation. And he wasn't talking about a country, he was talking about mankind."

Cannabis is now legal for recreational use in the US states of Washington and Colorado and earlier this month residents of Oregon and Alaska voted in favour of legalising the drug.