We thought the cannabis craze was supposed to bring stoners together?
Whoopi Goldberg and her business partner Maya Elisabeth are shuttering their cannabis brand, Whoopi & Maya, after four years. And we’re told it all went up in smoke because of a rift between the pair.
Board member and High Times veteran Rick Cusick told us, “In the last few months, Whoopi and Maya wanted a divorce, and the board had worked very hard to try and come up with some proposals … but we couldn’t get both principals to agree.”
He said the board thought they had found a “win-win” solution to “preserve the company,” but that Goldberg then sent an email last week saying that she was stepping down. Cusick said that sent the company “reeling.” But “We’re very proud of what we did. Whoopi was brave when she came in” to the cannabis space before a raft of celebs followed.
Cusick feels sorry for the brand’s devoted customers, he said, and added that he did not know what caused the split between the partners.
Goldberg told us, “It is with deep regret and sadness I am announcing that I have withdrawn as a board member, manager and member of Whoopi & Maya. I am very proud of what we have accomplished together and look forward to moving ahead with other projects in the market.”
The medical marijuana line was launched with fanfare in 2016 by “The View” host and Elisabeth, a “canna-businesswoman” who has won 11 High Times Cannabis Cup awards and is behind Om Edibles.
Elisabeth told us in a statement: “This was a truly special opportunity that I will be forever grateful for. We got to help a lot of women with our products and hopefully, someday we can make them accessible again! No regrets whatsoever, only gratitude and forward momentum. I wish everybody in the partnership only the best.”
Goldberg told Vanity Fair at the time of the launch — which included “cannabis edibles, tinctures, topical rubs and a THC-infused bath soak” — “I feel like if you don’t want to get high-high, this is a product specifically just to get rid of discomfort.” And that “Smoking a joint is fine, but most people can’t smoke a joint and go to work … This, you can put it in your purse.”
She previously said she uses a “vape pen” for glaucoma.