Damian Marley, a Grammy Award-winning artist and the youngest son of legendary reggae icon Bob Marley, announced the opening of his own cannabis dispensary in Denver, Colorado. The accomplished musician (also known as “Jr. Gong”) partnered with Tru Cannabis, a well-established local cannabis brand, to launch his dream business.

The artist’s dispensary is branded under “Damian Marley’s Stony Hill – By Tru Cannabis,” which was previously “Tru Cannabis at Mile High,” located next to Mile High Stadium. Jr. Gong officially welcomed fans and customers into the store in September 22 during the grand opening.

“I didn’t know in my lifetime I’d be opening a dispensary,” said Marley during an interview with Billboard. “We’ve always been advocates of legalizing marijuana and we always had the hope in our lifetime that we’d be involved in something like this, but I didn’t predict this would happen.”

A Peek Inside Stony Hill

The new cannabis retail shop currently sells a wide range of green products, such as top-shelf buds, concentrates and edibles. Inside the dispensary, customers are treated to mesmerizing artwork, including a recreation of a cloudy mountain in Jamaica that envelops a giant wall. Unlike other collaborations between artists and cannabis brands, Marley continuously worked with Tru Cannabis to ensure the quality of the products being sold in the establishment. Hence, the partnership is considered to be the first “true alliance” that was successfully carried out between a legal cannabis shop and an artist.

“I think it [the partnership with Damian Marley] will increase the appeal of Tru Cannabis. We have a really good selection at the dispensary,” said Andrew Kaplan, National Operations Director of Tru Cannabis. “If you’re going to Denver, you have to check this place out. It’s the first of its kind. This is different from other brand partnerships out there because it’s on a recreational level, making it accessible to everybody.”

For those who aren’t aware, Stony Hill is not a feeling you get when you consume too much weed. The name of the dispensary is actually a place in Jamaica where the 38-year-old musician grew up. Interestingly, Marley is also in the process of launching a full-length album titled “Stony Hill” in the first quarter of 2017.

“Stony Hill is a place in Jamaica I grew up so it has a lot of significance,” explained Marley.

Artists Entering the Cannabis Sector

A new trend that has been forming prolifically in the legal cannabis industry involves artists launching their own line of marijuana products. In most cases, the musicians (most come from the music production space) start off as advocates for the plant and eventually move on to larger roles in the sector. Examples of such occurrences include Willie Nelson’s interest in cultivating weed plants and Wiz Khalifa’s line of potent marijuana buds (the rapper launched his own strain called “Khalifa Kush”).

As for Marley, his approach to entering the legal cannabis market is more intriguing for consumers who are fans of his music and smoking herb. The Stony Hill dispensary is a unique place for customers to enjoy two different highs: a catchy, musical high facilitated by Marley’s upbeat tracks and a surreal cannabis high, fostered by the artist’s line of superior buds.