Wiz Khalifa visits Pittsburgh dispensary to launch his medical marijuana brand in Pennsylvania
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) - Superstar rapper and Pittsburgh native Wiz Khalifa is back in town, partially for business, partially for fun.
Wiz was in Pittsburgh on Monday promoting not music, but his newest business venture: medical marijuana.
Medical marijuana has been legal in Pennsylvania since 2016, helping patients treat things like muscle pain, stiffness and loss of appetite, and is said to have significant benefits for people with cancer, M.S. and other health conditions.
The rapper tells KDKA he's been working on the integrity of his strain for several years and is excited to finally be able to share it with patients here.
For the Grammy-nominated and award-winning rapper, nothing beats being home.
"It feels really good to be home and see everybody's face and smell the air," he said.
He was at a medical marijuana dispensary in Squirrel Hill on Monday with dozens of fans and patients waiting in line for hours to meet him on what happens to be Wiz Khalifa Day in the city of Pittsburgh.
The rapper, wearing a hot pink puffer coat, has released his own medical marijuana brand called Khalifa Kush. It's already been available in several select markets like California, Nevada and as of Monday, Pennsylvania.
Before posing for pictures with fans on a black and yellow carpet Wiz Khalifa spoke with KDKA-TV about the project he's been growing and nurturing for more than a decade.
"Making sure that the plant has the integrity that it's supposed to have and as the laws changed and more states have legalized it, we're just moving and grooving," he said.
The rapper has built his entire brand around bud. KDKA-TV asked him about any potential plans to work with state lawmakers to help legalize recreational pot in Pennsylvania.
"We're working every day, man. Things are changing and people are starting to see it the way that it should be. It's a place now that it's never been before. So we're just happy to be moving forward."
This has been a pretty big month for Wiz Khalifa. According to on3.com, his label Taylor Gang Entertainment just recently signed name, image and likeness deals with 25 college athletes. He's also preparing for a big performance: Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve in Los Angeles.