Willie Nelson to Present Inaugural Virtual Cannabis Convention

As a longtime advocate of marijuana, Willie Nelson is now stepping into the world of education with a cannabis convention.

Under his Luck Presents brand, Nelson is launching the inaugural Luck Summit: Planting the Seed summit, which will provide a comprehensive look at the cannabis plant in an effort to "destigmatize, educate, and promote cannabis culture in an informative and entertaining way," according to an event description.

Hosted by Americana singer-songwriter Nathaniel Rateliff, the three-day virtual event will feature presentations by keynote speakers in addition to cooking demonstrations, performances, comedy routines, health-themed activities and more. Programming will also be shaped around such topics as social justice, wellness, community, science and sustainability, among others.

It is part of what the country legend refers to as the "High Holidays," celebrating the cannabis plant over the course of nine days, beginning on the annual marijuana holiday of April 20 (4/20), and ending on Nelson's 88th birthday on April 29. The conference is set to take place on April 26-29 on the virtual platform Hopin. All the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit HeadCount's Cannabis Voter Project, an organization that educates, registers and turns out voters interested in cannabis policy.

Additionally, Nelson issued a letter to President Biden in April on behalf of Luck Presents requesting that he make "High Holidays" an official national holiday. “I think people need to be educated to the fact that marijuana is not a drug. Marijuana is an herb and a flower. God put it here. If He put it here and He wants it to grow, what gives the government the right to say that God is wrong?” Nelson writes in the Twitter letter.

This is just Nelson's latest effort in the cannabis world. In 2015, he launched his own line of cannabis products called Willie's Reserve, and he turned his passion for the plant into song with his 2012 collaboration with Snoop Dogg, Kris Kristofferson and Jamey Johnson, "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die."