Jacques Cousteau's grandson launches «Seaweed», a brand combining cannabis and seaweed

It makes perfect sense for a Cousteau to launch a brand of seaweed-enriched wellness products to save the oceans. But what if this brand added real herbs to the mix? That’s exactly what two Cousteaus—Ashlan and Philippe Cousteau, a married couple and the grandchildren of explorer, scientist, and environmentalist Jacques Cousteau—have done with SeaWeed Naturals.

Their products combine marine plants (known as «seaweed» in English) with cannabis to harness the benefits of both terrestrial and marine plants. The launch lineup includes eight products. Some of them, such as the body oil and Comfort lip balm, contain CBD derived from hemp, while others, such as Comfort Tincture and Body Comfort Balm, are available in CBD and THC.

High Tide gummies, designed for daytime use, and Low Tide gummies, designed for nighttime use, contain 10 milligrams of, respectively, sativa and indica made of eraser. In a charming tribute to the ocean, the erasers are shaped like starfish.

THC Candies from Seaweed Naturals

The products are currently available only in California at select dispensaries and for statewide delivery through the SeaWeed Naturals website via the Grassdoor delivery service.

«We spent a lot of time thinking about this,» Philippe admits. «We saw a gap in the cannabis market, which is still in its very early stages, very young, and unsophisticated in many ways. In the traditional wellness cosmetics sector, seaweed is fairly well established. People are used to it there, but no one is doing it in the cannabis space. It was really exciting from a business perspective.»

The goal is to soon expand the distribution of SeaWeed Naturals from California to other states, including Massachusetts, Colorado, Washington, and Oregon, and to develop CBD products which can be sold nationwide in more traditional retail settings for beauty and wellness products.

A Personal Relationship with Cannabis

Cousteau's heirs believe the power of THC for a myriad of problems. Older family members and friends suffering from chronic muscle and nerve pain had tried numerous remedies, but nothing worked—except for THC-enriched creams and balms.

On a personal level, Ashlan suffered from insomnia caused by postpartum depression until a friend gave her some THC candies.

«Not being able to sleep was really hard for me to deal with,» Ashlan says. «I tried the gum, and it helped. After a week or two, I felt like myself again because I was sleeping. I was able to feel normal again.»

Environmental protection is an integral part of SeaWeed Naturals. In fact, 5 % of the company’s profits will be donated to ocean conservation and education.

«We wanted a company that would truly be an impact-driven business from the very start,» explains Ashlan. «We wanted to make sure we had a positive impact on the planet—or at least a non-negative one. Obviously, given our work with the oceans and Philippe’s family legacy, we wanted to make sure we put the ocean first.»

We truly believe that this brand can help change the world, because everything we do in our lives—from our books to our speeches, and everything in between, including our television shows and documentaries—.

Jacques Cousteau and Cannabis

The late Jacques Cousteau, on the other hand, was categorically opposed to cannabis. Leafly reminds us In fact, in the preface to a book by Gabriel Nahas (Keep Off the Grass: A Scientific Inquiry into the Biological Effects of Marijuana), a prominent prohibitionist in the 1970s and 1980s, compared the effects of cannabis to the narcosis experienced by deep-sea divers or freedivers who stay underwater a little too long.

«The harmful biological effects associated with marijuana use are of the most serious kind,» Cousteau wrote at the time. «If we are concerned about external pollutants that threaten our environment, we should be just as concerned about internal pollutants—such as the byproducts of marijuana.»

But who knows? If Jacques Cousteau had lived long enough to attend the various legalization procedures, perhaps he would have filled his famous pipe with something other than tobacco?