Montel Williams Launches New Medical Marijuana Line

Award-winning talk show host Montel Williams is known for his medical cannabis advocacy, but now he’s taking it a step further by launching his own medical cannabis company.

Williams announced his new line of “innovative, high quality” medical cannabis products, under the name LenitivLabs, last Thursday at the Cannabis World Congress and Business Exposition in Los Angeles, according to a press release.

Williams has been a longtime advocate for medical cannabis since he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 1999. “I experience neuropathic pain 24 hours a day because of my MS,” he said in the press release. “My physicians recommended cannabis as part of my treatment 17 years ago, and I’ve used it ever since. Only someone suffering from a debilitating disease can understand cannabis’ therapeutic value.”

He told The Fix in a past interview that pot is just one element of his treatment. “What I do to manage my MS is a seven-prong approach that goes well beyond medical marijuana. I take 60 forms of supplements and hormonal replacements every day,” he said. “One thing will not fix this.”

Aside from selling products within the 25 states and the District of Columbia that have legalized medical cannabis to some degree for a range of ailments including chronic pain, epilepsy, cancer, and MS, the company said it will “work closely with state regulators and provide education for the broader community on topics such as proper dosage and methods of delivery.”

In addition, the company said it will work to fund clinical studies to further medical cannabis research.

Facilitating more research on medical cannabis has been a challenge for advocates. Last week, the American Legion, an organization which represents 2.4 million U.S. military veterans, passed a resolution urging Congress to move marijuana from Schedule I and to “reclassify it in a category that, at a minimum will recognize cannabis as a drug with potential medical value.”

Williams, who is a veteran of the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Navy, has also pushed to increase access to medical cannabis for military veterans. 

Currently, marijuana remains in Schedule I alongside heroin, LSD, and ecstasy. Drugs in this category are defined as having “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” Moving it to a lesser schedule would make it easier to study the drug. 

“With the issue of full legalization dominating the conversation, it’s critical not to forget patients who have specific needs with respect to cannabis, including strains that might be less profitable in the marketplace,” said Williams.