#Method Man launches socially conscious cannabis brand TICAL

Rapper and actor Method Man has launched a cannabis brand that aims to spark conversations about racial injustice.

The Wu-Tang Clan veteran has dubbed his line of pot TICAL, an acronym for “Taking Into Consideration All Lives” that’s also the title of his 1994 debut solo album.

Method Man, whose legal name is Clifford Smith, plans to use the business in his activism for marijuana legalization and against racism in law enforcement. TICAL’s first three cannabis strains — named “Cake,” “Gelato” and “Crusher” — will go on sale Friday at four black-owned dispensaries in California.

“Personally, it is essential that we use our brand to help bring awareness to the social, systemic and economic injustice in communities that have struggled with oppressive mass incarceration and racially-biased policing procedures,” he said in a statement.

TICAL is developing its own strains through a partnership with California-based grower Clone Guy Industries, according to a press release. The brand said it will focus on meeting high health standards amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The green venture is the latest celebrity-backed pot brand to launch as more US states legalize the drug. Rapper Snoop Dogg, singer Willie Nelson and comedian Tommy Chong have all endorsed their own lines of cannabis flowers, edibles and other products.