Men’s Wearhouse founder George Zimmer has long been an advocate for legal cannabis use. (D. Ross Cameron/Cannifornian archive)
You likely know his deep voice from radio and TV commercials: “You’re gonna like the way you look. I guarantee it.”
George Zimmer is no longer the voice and face of Men’s Wearhouse, the company he founded more than four decades ago that grew to be one of the biggest players in men’s suits and accessories. He was ousted as executive chairman during a struggle for internal power in 2013; a year later, he was back on the men’s clothing scene with an online tuxedo rental company called Generation Tux.
At the same time, Zimmer is speaking out more on a topic he’s been associated with for a while now: His advocacy of cannabis use.
In an interview with Business Insider, Zimmer talks more about his marijuana use, saying that “The fact is — and I mean the scientific fact — [marijuana] is less toxic and dangerous than cigarettes and alcohol, which are the main drugs in the United States.”
Zimmer donated half a million dollars to Proposition 215, which legalized medical marijuana in California, and gave $50,000 to an unsuccessful effort to completely legalize marijuana in the state. After Prop. 64 passed in November, Zimmer said that “Ending the prohibition against the adult use of marijuana is now the mainstream view. … I look forward to continuing to advocate for a nationwide end to marijuana prohibition.”
Business Insider reports that Zimmer will speak this week at Oregon’s Cannabis Collaborative Conference. Zimmer told the site that becoming an outspoken marijuana advocate”was just one of those little things that I did over my life that pissed people off.”
A recovering alcoholic, Zimmer says that marijuana use helped him lessen his dependence on drinking. “I refer to [marijuana] as harm reduction,” he said. “So the way cannabis helps is, when you lose your job, you don’t go on a two-week bender.”
Read the full article over at BusinessInsider.com.
