Marijuana Legalization: ‘Gonzo’ Journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s Widow To Sell Author’s Personal Strains Of Cannabis

Over a decade after his death, people can soon smoke some of ‘Gonzo’ journalist Hunter S. Thompson’s personal strains of marijuana thanks to the efforts of his wife, Anita Thompson.

The late writer’s widow told the Aspen Times last week of her plan to cultivate and sell the author’s strains of cannabis. Thompson said she was working with a marijuana company to grow and distribute six kinds of marijuana that she saved, which were once smoked by her husband.

“Since it became legal I get approached probably once a month by cannabis growers, dispensaries,” Thompson reportedly said. “I’ve had probably 10 meetings in the last three years and I always ended up saying ‘No’ because it’s the same story every time: Somebody wants to slap Hunter’s name on their strain… If I put Hunter’s name on somebody else’s strain, I can never go back and say, ‘No, this is the authentic one.’”

She joked that she was “looking forward to being a drug lord,” but put those plans on hold for so long on purpose.

“For 10 years, we were always careful to steer the conversation back to Hunter’s work,” she said. “Because it was never guaranteed that Hunter’s work would be appreciated into this generation.”

Anita Thompson bought Owl Farm – the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” author’s longtime home – in June this year. The journalist wrote in his will that his wife could continue living on the 42-acre property but it would be owned by the Gonzo Trust. In June, she bought the property back from the trust for $500,000. She gave up her rights as a beneficiary of her husband’s book sales but gained full ownership rights to the “Gonzo” logo and to Thompson’s likeness.

She added that the profits from the cannabis deal will be used to renovate Owl Farm, which she plans on turning into a museum in honor of “The Rum Diary” author and a writer’s retreat.

Medical use of cannabis has been legalized in 26 states and the District of Columbia, with three more states to join the list after the November election. Eight states — California, Maine, Massachusetts, Nevada, Colorado, Washington, Alaska and Oregon — and the District of Columbia allow the recreational use of the drug.