Wretch 32 has increased his chain of CBD stores to eight locations across the U.K called Green Machine. He told Complex UK that he was inspired by business moguls and Hip-Hop giants Diddy and Jay-Z to be a person who motivates others
“I think someone like myself, at this point in my career, it’s about thinking: ‘How can I expand?’ What can someone like Digga D look at me and say, ‘As well as the music, I like that Wretch done this, but he also has that and I like that as well, and I aspire to do the same.’”
Wretch explained how he was initially skeptical at the promised health benefits of CBD but became convinced after asking a range of family and friends to test some products.
Wretch 32 Says CBD Works
Everybody came back and was like, ‘Rah! I couldn’t sleep, but now I’m getting a great night’s sleep.’ ‘My acne has cleared up!’” he shared. “After that, I did more reading up on it, then I invested in it, invested time, and was like, ‘You know what? This is actually the future and, at some point, I see this replacing medicine.’ It’s a natural alternative to medicine so I really do see that happening.
Although there are some signs of a move towards decriminalization, cannabis remains a controlled substance in the UK. “CBD is weed without the THC. The THC is what gets you high in weed, so with CBD, we don’t get you high—we just give you all the health benefits,” said Wretch 32. “Our body naturally produces what’s in CBD, but our body can’t produce it to the level of the products that we sell. And it’s cannabinoids, so we’re literally topping you up on stuff that you actually need.
Elsewhere during the interview Wretch 32 discussed fellow Def Jam executive Snoop Dogg and a recent zoom conversation between the entire team. “Yeah, he did a Zoom with the whole team and we had a good chat. We all chopped it up, asked questions, got some game from the guy, and he told us about what his plans were and how he sees things playing out. I just think it’s strong, man. He added, “There’s some elements of genius there that needed to be worked with.”