A former Microsoft executive and Washington state resident is planning to enter the upscale marijuana business, in the hopes that it will help bring some respectability to the industry, reported KiroTV.

Jamen Shively plans to name his business after his grandfather, who supplied hemp rope to the Spanish Armada at the time of the Spanish-American War.

“By creating the category of premium marijuana, we want to position it similar to a fine cognac, a fine brandy, a fine cigar,” Shively told KiroTV.

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On Dec. 6, marijuana will become legal to possess for those 21 and over.

“What Kentucky became for bourbon, the state of Washington is becoming for marijuana,” he said.

[Image: Marijuana in a metal pipe via Shutterstock.com]