Jim Belushi didn’t know what else he could grow on his farm except for cannabis.
The 66-year-old actor was gifted a 93-acre farm following the death of a dear friend, but had no idea what to plant on the land until Oregon legalised cannabis.
Appearing on the ‘On with Mario Lopez’ podcast, he said: "I got this little piece of property in southern Oregon, and the lady behind the farm had passed and she wanted me to have so I bought it from her. But what am I gonna do on a farm? I’m an actor, I memorise other people’s lines. That’s what I do for a living. I didn’t know what to grow, but then that year it [cannabis] became legal in Oregon and I went, ‘Well, it’s Oregon’s new agriculture!’"
The ‘Curly Sue’ star has "learned so much" since starting his farm, and he hopes his new show ‘Growing Belushi’ – which focuses on the production of marijuana – will reveal the array of important medical uses that the plant has.
He added: "I think it’s a terrific show is great because it’s not called ‘Growing Pot’, it’s called ‘Growing Belushi’. It’s not a stoner show, it’s a real farm. I learned so much, farmers are such a smart guy. I mean, agriculturists are scientists. And I just started filming it [the process] because I think people are curious about the medical values of this. I mean, you see it change people’s lives. I think the show brings a lot of safety to the audience, they’ll see it at all stages."
What’s more, Jim believes cannabis could have saved his late brother John Belushi’s life as he suffered from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy as a result of playing football in high school.
John was one of the original cast members of ‘Saturday Night Live’ and went on to form a partnership with fellow comic Dan Aykroyd – starring in popular movies such as ‘The Blues Brothers’ – but the notorious Hollywood hellraiser tragically died at the age of 33 in 1982 after an overdose of a cocktail of drugs.
Jim recently said: "He was a middle linebacker. I know he had damage to the brain. As soon as alcohol and drugs were available to him I think he went right to (self) medication."