Annie Nelson Leads Willie's Cannabis Community Event for Kamala

Last Thursday, October 24, Willie Nelson and his wife Annie D'Angelo Nelson hosted a star-studded Cannabis Community Call for Kamala. It was obvious that Annie was leading the charge on the call, introducing speakers and keeping the event flowing, as well as making pro-cannabis comments of her own.

“If we want to see legalization become a reality, we have to do what we can to elect Harris,” Willie said. “We need you to drag your friends to the polls if need be.” 

“At the end of the day, we can’t go on blaming her for enforcing the law when she was a prosecutor. That was the law, and that was her job,” he continued. “And we need to recognize when we have a real partner in this mission to legalization we’ve all been on, and in Vice President Harris, there’s no doubt that we have that partner.”

Guest speakers began with Colorado Governor and cannabis legalization advocate Jared Polis, who called Harris “the first major party candidate to support leaving it up to the states.” He opined that while Joe Biden has done "very little" on legalization, Harris’s support for marijuana legalization is part of her “freedom agenda.” He added, "Finally, they have the rescheduling sitting there. We hope they approve it, but that’s just the first step.”

Cannabis activist/entrepreneur and 2016 Tokin' Woman of the Year Whoopi Goldberg spoke next about how cannabis can help with women's health issues like menstrual cramps. “It’s really important that we get these things thought of as normal,” she added. “When we talk about cannabis, it should not be something that is ever thought of as something harmful, because it’s not, and we have so many ways of using this, and Kamala knows this.” 

Country singer/songwriter Margo Price, also a cannabis entrepreneur, announced that she's already voted for Harris and feels good about voting for the first major party candidate to embrace cannabis legalization (as well as, the whole democracy thing, doing right by women and children, etc.) 

Former NFL player Ricky Williams spoke sincerely about his struggles for acceptance as a medical cannabis user, including being arrested for possession. "To see other African American men not having to be arrested and go through what I went through, I'm all in [for Harris]," he said.  

Congressional Cannabis Co-Chairs Earl Blumenauer and Barbara Lee appeared together at the event. "Cannabis legalization is our secret weapon," said Blumenauer, crediting the Senate Democratic majority to cannabis being on the ballot, turning out pro-cannabis voters. “If it weren’t for cannabis being on the ballot in Arizona in 2020, Joe Biden wouldn’t have carried those electoral votes,” he claimed. “The young people carried him across the finish line.”

Noting that Harris co-sponsored the MORE Act to legalize cannabis at the federal level, Blumenauer enthused, "She has been on the cutting edge of cannabis legalization. And this is our secret weapon to win the election: It will motivate young people. It speaks to racial justice, to health and to public safety.”

Lee, who remembered meeting Willie when she worked with former Congressman Ron Dellums, a leader with NORML, called Kamala a child of her Oakland, California district. She spoke about trying unsuccessfully to get marijuana legalization on the DNC platform in the past, and about her mother using cannabis for her sore knee. She asked for listeners to vote for Harris/Walz in honor of her mom.

Singer/songwriter Brittney Spencer, who's toured with Willie, spoke about her use of cannabis for endometriosis and anxiety, saying she's just gone a full year on tour without an anxiety attack. "Vote for Kamala, vote for some cannabis, man," she enjoined. 

NORML board member and travel guru Rick Steves opened with, "Right now, we've got an opportunity with Kamala Harris for the first time to legalize marijuana at the federal level, instead of state by state." Getting high is a place we should all be able to go to, he added, noting that marijuana use is going down among teenagers following legalization. "It's freedom vs. autocracy in this election," said Steves. "Take a principled stance for civil liberties! Vote!"

"Legalizing cannabis gives everyone a passport to travel to that high place," added Annie.

The call ended with Colorado Congresswoman/candidate Brittany Pettersen, who echoed the pro-cannabis, pro-Kamala views from other callers. “I’m looking at a joint, and I’m just like, ‘Man, I just want to spark it up right now, you know?” she said when she joined the call. She added that she also used cannabis to control endometriosis, and that Colorado’s cannabis legalization has brought in millions of dollars in tax revenue while underage use has fallen in the state.

(Thanks to the always-great coverage by Marijuana Moment for some of the quotes in this article.)

Annie D'Angelo was a 30-year-old makeup artist when she met 53-year-old Willie Nelson on the set of his 1986 movie Stagecoach, which also starred Waylon Jennings, Kris Kristofferson and Johnny Cash. Reportedly, she advocated for Willie keeping his long braids in the movie instead of cutting his hair (reason enough to love her). The couple married in 1991 and have two sons, Lucas and Micah, both musicians.

In his 2020 "joint" memoir Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of the Family Band, Willie said of marrying Annie, "It's about the smartest thing I ever did." He told People magazine, "She's my lover, my wife, nurse, doctor, bodyguard." During the COVID-19 quarantine, D'Angelo executed a a weekly meal schedule for her family, and "turned the house into a hospital" when Nelson contracted the virus in May 2022. "I had a nebulizer on the bus," she told the New York Times. "I started everything I could at that point, including Paxlovid. He had the monoclonal antibodies. He had steroids." When the then-89-year-old icon recovered, but D'Angelo set up strict guidelines to keep her husband protected, something we can all thank her for. 

According to People, D'Angelo launched her own line of "high-quality, strictly dosed and clean edible cannabis chocolates" in 2017 under the Willie's Reserve label, including flavors like Maui Espresso Bean and Roasted Cacao Nibs. "Partnering with the very best growers and retailers is a win-win," she shared of her line at the time. "Our partners put the same love and care into their businesses as we put into our Infused Chocolates with healthy ingredients and the finest chocolate available." 

Willie and Annie Nelson's Cannabis Cookbook: Mouthwatering Recipes and the High-Flying Stories Behind Them will be on sale on November 12. Promo copy for the book reads, "Drawn from their favorite meals on nationwide tours, at the ranch, at home, and in their favorite cities along the way, these recipes have stories to tell—and what better way to enjoy a good meal than with a high-flying tale and a relaxing buzz?"