{"id":4835,"date":"2022-03-14T21:54:36","date_gmt":"2022-03-14T21:54:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/wp-home\/?p=197122"},"modified":"2022-03-14T21:54:36","modified_gmt":"2022-03-14T21:54:36","slug":"would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/?p=4835","title":{"rendered":"Would Jacques approve? A Cousteau family brand links the sea to the weed"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>  <title>Would Jacques approve? A Cousteau family brand links the sea to the weed | Leafly<\/title>     <!-- This is Index Exchange, a script\/\/3rd-party integration that interjects GAM. It needs to be 'ahead' of GTM in the DOM, which comes from Cephalopod. GTM loads GAM. This script needs to setup it's interjection stuff before GAM loads. --> <!-- End Index Exchange --> <!-- Quotes = strings--><!-- No quotes = boolean-->\t   <!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v18.1 (Yoast SEO v18.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->                   <!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. --> <\/p>\n<p> <!-- BEGIN Sailthru Horizon Meta Information --><\/p>\n<p><!-- END Sailthru Horizon Meta Information -->  <!-- Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- End Google Publisher Tag --> <!-- Google Tag Manager --> <!-- End Google Tag Manager --> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat --><br \/>\n <!-- Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <\/p>\n<div id=\"copy_clipboard_success\" class=\"fixed top-0 left-0 right-0\">\n<div class=\"bg-white p-lg container mt-xl flex justify-between elevation-low rounded\"> <span class=\"flex items-center\">     <span class=\"ml-md\">Link copied to your clipboard<\/span> <\/span> <button id=\"copy_clipboard_close_btn\">    <\/button> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <!-- End Google Tag Manager (noscript) -->   <title>Leafly<\/title>     <title>Leafly \u00ae<\/title>                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              <title>Loading\u2026<\/title>                     <\/p>\n<div class=\"bg-white fixed flex hidden inset-0 items-start md:h-auto md:items-center overflow-auto\" id=\"age-gate-container\">\n<div class=\"bg-white md:h-auto mx-auto p-lg text-sm w-full\" id=\"age-gate\">\n<p><label for=\"select-country\">Where are you from?<\/label><\/p>\n<div class=\"age-gate__info\">\n<p><button class=\"button\" data-testid=\"age-gate-no-button\" id=\"tou-cancel\">no<\/button><button class=\"button ml-md\" data-testid=\"age-gate-yes-button\" id=\"tou-continue\">yes<\/button><\/p>\n<p><label class=\"checkbox__label my-xl\"><span class=\"text-xs\" id=\"remember-user-label\">Remember me for 30 days. <br \/>I confirm that this is not a shared device.<\/span><\/label><\/p>\n<p class=\"error error--underage hidden\">Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"hidden age-gate__loading\">Redirecting you to<span class=\"redirect-domain\"><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"text-xs mt-auto\">By accessing this site, you accept<br \/>\nthe <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"tou-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/terms-of-use\">Terms of Use<\/a><br \/>\nand <a class=\"py-xl\" data-testid=\"pp-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/info\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"container my-xl\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col md:col-9\" id=\"article-content\">\n<p>The Cousteau family\u2019s first foray into cannabis began as an off-the-cuff comment. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOver a couple of glasses of wine, I made the joke, \u2018Wouldn\u2019t it be funny if the Cousteaus created a cannabis line and we called it seaweed?\u201d Ashlan Cousteau recalled in a recent interview with Leafly. \u201cWe all had a chuckle. But then we couldn\u2019t stop thinking about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A journalist, television host, author, educator and social entrepreneur, Ashlan began her career as an entertainment reporter before co-starring for three seasons on the Travel Channel\u2019s <em>Caribbean Pirate Treasure. <\/em>Her husband is Philippe Cousteau, host and executive producer of the multi-Emmy nominated series <em>Awesome Planet<\/em>, now in its sixth season. In the Cousteau family tradition, they both lend their talents to a wide variety of environmental nonprofits.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"720\" height=\"720\" alt=\"photo-of-ashlan-cousteau\" class=\"wp-image-197131 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-1.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Ashlan Cousteau: Inspired by her experience overcoming insomnia, she found a way to blend the power of the sea with land-grown cannabinoids. (Photo courtesy of SeaWeed)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m the third generation of a family that has dedicated itself to conservation of the oceans and the planet,\u201d Philippe told Leafly. \u201cI have spent my whole life continuing in the spirit of that legacy.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Philippe is the grandson of world-famous ocean explorer Jacques Cousteau (1910-1997), the French naval officer turned author, filmmaker, conservationist, inventor, and director\/host of <em>The Silent World\u2014<\/em>a documentary on the ocean and marine life that inspired millions of people and won a <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Palme_d%27or\">Palme d\u2019or<\/a> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/1956_Cannes_Film_Festival\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">1956 Cannes Film Festival<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Hence the \u201cseaweed\u201d joke that gave rise to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seaweednaturals.com\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SeaWeed Naturals<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-surf-and-turf\">Surf and turf<\/h2>\n<p>SeaWeed Naturals\u2019 promotional materials describe it as \u201ca first-of-its-kind lifestyle brand, creating products that bring customers the established benefits of the cannabis plant, combined with the countless powerful effects of marine botanicals.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Specifically, the SeaWeed Naturals line of topicals, balms, tinctures and gummies combines THC and CBD oils with seaweed and algae. The company\u2019s origin story may involve a playful pun, but the couple says they\u2019re hoping to make a serious impact by providing a market for restoratively sourced seaweed (\u201cfrom aquaculture farms in Maine that naturally sequester carbon, de-acidify the ocean, create habitats and provide sustainable jobs\u201d) and ocean-friendly omega 3\u2019s (\u201cderived from algae that\u2019s sustainably cultivated through a fermentation process similar to kombucha\u201d).<\/p>\n<p>According to the Cousteaus, 5% of the company\u2019s profits will be donated to ocean conservation and education. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\">\n<p>\n[embedded content]\n<\/p>\n<\/figure>\n<p>SeaWeed Naturals currently offers eight top-shelf-quality products at select California dispensaries and via delivery, with plans to roll out a 50-state CBD-hemp wellness line in the near future.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-an-infused-gummy-changed-their-lives\">An infused gummy changed their lives<\/h2>\n<p>According to the Cousteau\u2019s, combining cannabis and marine botanicals was far from their first entrepreneurial idea.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe thought about doing a t-shirt line, but the fashion industry is a huge polluter. We thought about doing furniture, or wine, or cooking. We didn\u2019t know what we wanted to do, we just wanted to do something.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That <em>something <\/em>came into focus when Ashlan had a profoundly healing experience the first time she ate a \u201csleepy gummy.\u201d Following the birth of the couple\u2019s first child, she\u2019d been suffering with debilitating insomnia.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI tried over-the-counter sleep aids, I tried prescription medicines, and I never liked the way they made me feel,\u201d she recalled. \u201cI still remember that next morning [after trying a THC gummy]. I got a good night\u2019s sleep and woke up refreshed, not groggy or hungover. It changed my life, and truly opened my eyes to the power of this plant.\u201d <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img width=\"720\" height=\"720\" alt=\"photo-of-philippe-cousteau\" class=\"wp-image-197139 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-2.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>Philippe Cousteau, grandson of Jacques, created SeaWeed with Ashlan. (Photo courtesy of SeaWeed)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"h-add-marine-botanicals-like-kelp\">Add marine botanicals like kelp<\/h2>\n<p>Next came the idea to incorporate marine botanicals, which are already found in a wide range of cosmetics and wellness products, and offer their own health benefits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cRight off the top of my head,\u201d Ashlan said, \u201ckelp is antibacterial, anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, hydrates your skin, and inhibits collagen breakdown. Omega 3\u2019s help with depression and anxiety, help with your organs and your joints, and support your immune system.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-a-curious-history-with-the-grass\">A curious history with \u201cthe grass\u201d <\/h2>\n<p>Jacques Cousteau, the family\u2019s famous patriarch, lived to the age of 86 and left behind 120 television documentaries, more than 50 books, and a thriving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cousteau.org\">environmental protection society<\/a>. But he may be best known to a younger generation of cannabis consumers as the inspiration for the 2004 Wes Anderson film <em>The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>In <em>The<\/em> <em>Life Aquatic, <\/em>Bill Murray plays a character clearly (if very loosely) based on Cousteau. One of the major differences between the character and its inspiration is that Steve Zissou enjoys smoking weed throughout the film. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img width=\"1024\" height=\"700\" alt=\"photo-of-jacques-cousteau-and-his-boat-calypso\" class=\"wp-image-197219 has-ll lazyload\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=550 550w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=740 740w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=1100 1100w, https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed-3.jpg,compress&amp;w=1480 1480w\"><figcaption>In this 1986 photo, 76 year-old Jacques Cousteau stands before the refurbished research vessel Calypso in Miami, Fla.. (AP Photo\/Kathy Willens, file)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The real-life Jaques Cousteau, by contrast, was adamantly opposed to cannabis. And we know this because he put it in writing.<\/p>\n<p>In his preface to a 1976 anti-marijuana polemic called <a href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/books\/edition\/Keep_off_the_Grass\/-BklBQAAQBAJ?hl=en&amp;gbpv=1&amp;dq=keep+off+the+grass+book&amp;printsec=frontcover\"><em>Keep Off the Grass: A Scientific Enquiry into the Biological Effects of Marijuana<\/em><\/a> by Dr. Gabriel G. Nahas<em>, <\/em>Cousteau likened the effects of cannabis to the \u201cnitrogen narcosis\u201d suffered by deep sea divers, and repeated discredited claims.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe damaging biological effects associated with the marijuana habit are of the most serious nature,\u201d Cousteau wrote at the time. \u201cIf we are concerned about the external pollutants that threaten our environment, we should be equally concerned about internal pollutants\u2014like marijuana products.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"h-put-that-in-your-pipe\">Put that in your pipe<\/h2>\n<p>Both the book <em>Keep off the Grass<\/em> and Cousteau\u2019s preface are today forgotten relics of a bygone era. So forgotten, in fact, that Philippe Cousteau told <em>Leafly<\/em> he\u2019d never heard of the book, and had no idea his famous grandfather advocated against cannabis.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re talking about 45 years ago, when society\u2019s perspectives around drugs was very different,\u201d Philippe said.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Obviously, it\u2019s not fair to hold a half-century-old polemic written by his grandfather against Philippe Cousteau. And who knows? If Jacques Cousteau had lived long enough to see the legalization era, and the widespread acceptance of medical cannabis, he may have filled his famous pipe with some seaweed instead of tobacco.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Or more likely, tried a <a href=\"https:\/\/store.seaweednaturals.com\/product\/high-tide-gummies?tab=schedule\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">SeaWeed Naturals gummy<\/a>. &nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI can\u2019t speak for my grandfather now\u2014and I have no idea how his thoughts on this may have evolved over time\u2014but he was somebody who definitely changed and grew his perspectives as time moved on,\u201d Philippe said.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s a positive sign of the times.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div id=\"author-box\" class=\"p-lg my-xxl bg-white rounded border border-light-grey elevation-low\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/would-jacques-approve-a-cousteau-family-brand-links-the-sea-to-the-weed.jpg\" alt=\"David Bienenstock's Bio Image\" class=\"lazyload inline-block mr-md rounded-full border border-light-grey\"> <\/p>\n<p>David Bienenstock<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"text-sm\">Veteran cannabis journalist David Bienenstock is the author of &#8220;How to Smoke Pot (Properly): A Highbrow Guide to Getting High&#8221; (2016 &#8211; Penguin\/Random House), and the co-host and co-creator of the podcast &#8220;Great Moments in Weed History with Abdullah and Bean.&#8221; Follow him on Twitter @pot_handbook.<\/p>\n<p> <a class=\"text-sm font-bold underline text-green\" href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/author\/david-bienenstock\">View David Bienenstock&#8217;s articles<\/a> <\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-horizontal-other-articles\">\n<div class=\"mb-lg flex justify-between items-end\">\n<h2>The latest in Strains &amp; products<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/news\/category\/strains-products\" class=\"block text-green text-sm whitespace-no-wrap font-bold\">Show all<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"leafly-sailthru-signup p-lg my-xl bg-white rounded elevation-low border border-light-grey\">\n<p class=\"text-xs pt-lg\">By submitting this form, you will be subscribed to news and promotional emails from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\">Leafly<\/a> and you agree to Leafly&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/tos\">Terms of Service<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.leafly.com\/company\/privacy-policy\">Privacy Policy<\/a>. You can unsubscribe from Leafly email messages anytime.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <!-- Chartbeat --> <!-- End Chartbeat -->  <!--\nPerformance optimized by W3 Total Cache. Learn more: https:\/\/www.boldgrid.com\/w3-total-cache\/ Served from: _ @ 2022-03-15 07:14:13 by W3 Total Cache\n--><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Would Jacques approve? A Cousteau family brand links the sea to the weed | Leafly Link copied to your clipboard Leafly Leafly \u00ae Loading\u2026 Where are you from? noyes Remember me for 30 days. I confirm that this is not a shared device. Darn! You&#8217;re not old enough to use Leafly. Redirecting you to By accessing this site, you accept the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The Cousteau family\u2019s first foray into cannabis began as an off-the-cuff comment. \u201cOver a couple of glasses of wine, I made the joke, \u2018Wouldn\u2019t it be funny if the Cousteaus created a cannabis&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4835","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-marijuana_information"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4835","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4835"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4835\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4835"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4835"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thcinct.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4835"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}