Hadley Malcolm

USA TODAY

Larry Flynt is trading sex for spliffs with his latest business venture.

The founder of the sexually explicit Hustler magazine and several other pornographic enterprises has invested $100,000 in Pineapple Express, a cannabis consulting and branding firm based in Los Angeles.

The publicly traded company said Friday that Flynt purchased 100,000 common shares for $100,000, calling him an "amazing investor" and "world renowned defender of First Amendment rights." CEO Matthew Feinstein said Flynt's backing would inspire employees to work harder.

"Knowing that Mr. Flynt has made an investment in our company provides impetus for everyone at headquarters to surpass expectations and deliver excellent results," he said in a company statement.

Legal marijuana sales forecast to hit $23B in 4 years

Flynt has frequently been in court defending his business over the years. In 1978, his advocacy forever altered his life when he was shot outside a courtroom, an incident that left him partially paralyzed. Flynt has also taken a stab at running for public office in California and operates a casino under the Hustler name.

Pineapple Express, also the name of a strain of marijuana — and a 2008 movie that thrust the name into the pop culture spotlight — provides consulting, technology and branding services to the burgeoning legal weed industry, which is expected to be so high by 2020 that it will reach nearly $23 billion in sales of adult use and medical marijuana, according to a report out earlier this month.