Sacha Baron Cohen Drops $9M Lawsuit Over Fake Weed Ads

Last year, the High Times reported on Sacha Baron Cohen’s massive $9 million lawsuit against a pharmacy that ran a billboard advertisement with his picture without permission, but the actor and plaintiff have agreed to drop the lawsuit.

CBS News reports that a document filed Tuesday in federal court in Boston states that “the two sides have agreed to dismiss the case.”

According to court documents filed on July 12, 2021, Sacha Baron Cohen filed a $9 million lawsuit against Somerset, Massachusetts-based pharmacy Solar Therapeutics for running a billboard advertisement featuring his image without his permission had.

Solar Therapeutics erected a billboard on a Massachusetts freeway with an image of Baron Cohen as Borat, thumbs up and the words “It’s Nice!”, one of Borat’s catchphrases. It also said “Happy 4/20!” The billboard appeared in Somerset near junction 10B.

“By using the billboard, the defendants falsely informed the public that Mr. Baron Cohen endorsed their products and was affiliated with their business,” the 2021 complaint said. “Quite to the contrary, Mr. Baron Cohen has never been in used cannabis throughout his life. He would never participate in a cannabis advertising campaign for any amount of money.”

It continues: “Furthermore, Mr. Baron Cohen was born into an Orthodox Jewish family; he is a practicing Jew; and he is proud of his cultural heritage. He does not wish to be drawn into the heated controversy in the Orthodox Jewish community over whether cannabis can be used under Jewish traditions, customs and rules – a controversy in which many rabbinic leaders have declared that cannabis use is a violation of Jewish law. ”

Baron Cohen and his California-based company Please You Can Touch LLC originally sought $9 million in damages for misusing his image.

While Baron Cohen, Please You Can Touch LLC and Solar Therapeutics reached an agreement, it is not disclosed whether or not an agreement was reached. It can be a symbolic warning not to misuse Baron Cohen’s intellectual property without a fight.

Abuse of celebrities to sell cannabis is an ongoing problem. Tom Hanks, Clint Eastwood and Montel Williams – who own a legitimate cannabis company – have all been victims of CBD and cannabis scams claiming to be endorsed by celebrities.

Yes, we interviewed Sacha Baron Cohen

If you’re scratching your head, we understand. Baron Cohen has joked about cannabis many times, usually as Ali G. But the lawsuit clearly states that he has never smoked cannabis in his life.

Baron Cohen interviewed Dan Skye for High Times for the magazine’s October 2003 cover – but interviewed as Ali G, his fictional stoner character, not himself. The new lawsuit explains why Baron Cohen openly jokes about cannabis, but because of his beliefs not consumed.

“I can roll up two spliffs with one hand,” Baron Cohen as Ali G told The High Times in 2003. From the moment I was born chronic I’ve been at the center of everything I do – when my mom pushed me out of her punani I cried so hard she let me hit her joint. Three years later my first word woz ‘Reefer’.”

“[…] U iz de only like to pay dat in grass,” he said. Ali G then told the High Times that his favorite weed “is grown in a little part of Jamaica called Somalia.”

Baron Cohen’s Ali G might be a big stoner, but Baron Cohen plays a lot of characters. And just because he jokes about it doesn’t mean he allows a company to steal its image for profit.