Seeing green: Celebrities selling marijuana

Melissa's interview comes in around the 4 minute mark below.

Recreational marijuana is still against the law in 41 states. But a number of celebrities with their own brands to sell are seeing green all the same. Our Cover Story is reported by Ben Tracy:

Hollywood has long been addicted to a good marijuana joke. And now that pot is legal for recreational use in nine states (with more on the horizon), some celebrities are laughing all the way to the bank... 

Grammy-winning artist Melissa Etheridge is getting in on the act, from the ground up; she calls 47 acres in California's Santa Cruz Mountains Etheridge Farms.

Tracy said, "It's one thing to use this, it's one thing to be an advocate for it. Why did you want to go into the business?"

"I wanted to be in the front of this because I feel that there's not a representation for middle-aged women in the cannabis industry," Etheridge replied.

This new business venture is personal. Etheridge says she discovered the healing power of marijuana during painful chemotherapy sessions after she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004.

"And so they gave me, like, super-duper-duper chemo, which was really, really horrible," Etheridge said. "Especially in your gastrointestinal system. So immediately, as soon as I took the first chemo, and you start feeling it by the end of the night, I smoked. And you get instant relief from nausea, and you have an appetite."

For Etheridge, pot isn't just about getting high; it's about getting healthy – and, she says, the product grown here will have strict standards.

"It's pesticide-free," she said. "It's the quality, and it's measured out. You're gonna be able to understand what the dosage is. That's the product I want to present."

"Life is hard enough; let's take it easy on ourselves," she said. "We don't have to go through life, you know, clutching the steering wheel. You know, we can relax a little bit!"

There are even edible products, like gingersnap weed cookies and other baked goods. And then there's the cannabis-infused lavender cream.

She said, "Arthritis sufferers swear by this. Women who haven't been able to knit for years have put it on their hands, they cover it with gloves overnight, and they wake up, and believe me, it's so effective. It's kind of sad that it's not out in the world."

Etheridge Farms is not yet up-and-running, but she hopes that putting the Etheridge name on her products will lead to more people experiencing a higher level of relaxation.