From being incarcerated on marijuana charges to obtaining his cultivation certificate, Songwriter Larry Johnson has been a long-time advocate of marijuana use.
“If you tried to stop me, you know I’d have a plan. Cause I’m hard to follow, I’m like a wanted man.”
In 2008, Larry Johnson was arrested in Florida due to a warrant regarding his unpaid fine.
“When he searched my vehicle, he found a little one-hitter for smoking one hit of weed. A small pipe. Didn’t have any weed on me, nothing.”
Almost a year later, Johnson was charged with marijuana and paraphernalia possession and served 180 days in a Florida jail in 2012. The 67-year-old Galesburg resident says he has been a personal grower for nearly his whole life despite federal laws surrounding marijuana.
“During that time, you just had to accept the fact that the laws hadn’t changed. Now, did I quit smoking marijuana because I did 180 days for a bunch of BS? No, I did not, and no, I will not.”
Johnson said he hopes to break down the stigma surrounding marijuana through his advocacy and songwriting. Johnson played one of his songs, "Smoking The Best Smoke", on the guitar in WVIK’s newsroom.
Following the state of Illinois’ 2020 legalization, many colleges and universities, such as Black Hawk College, now offer cannabis education courses. Johnson said he first enrolled in Black Hawk’s classes in August of 2024.
“That’s really where this whole program is going to where its safer for everybody, not more dangerous. Weed is not any stronger than it used to be.”
Johnson obtained certificates in both the cultivation and extraction programs in the past year. He said it's important for personal growers, like himself, to further their education to ensure best practices in marijuana consumption and usage.
“The cultivation course is what really hit home with me because I had so many little empty spaces in my knowledge that just were answered in the cultivation class.”
Black Hawk College also offers one more program, the retail specialist, which Johnson says he may enroll in to further perfect his craft. Although some may still question the role of marijuana within society, Johnson said education is key to best understanding the drug and its uses.
“I just said this to a friend of mine the other day. He was commenting on, ‘Wow, you spent that much money going to school?’ And I told him, ‘It’s the best money I’ve ever spent on weed.’”
“That guitar sounds good… I like this Yahama…”
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