Sacha Baron Cohen Sues Over ‘Borat’ Marijuana Billboard Ad

Sacha Baron Cohen isn’t cool with a cannabis company using his Borat character’s likeness on one of their giant billboard advertisements, so he’s suing them over it.

Gossip website TMZ says the actor filed suit against Solar Therapeutics; he alleges the company is using his famous persona to sell medical marijuana in Massachusetts. Borat’s face with two thumbs up, using one of his trademark lines, “It’s Nice!” appears in full view on the highway ad.

According to the gossip site, Cohen claims Solar Therapeutics is “pulling a fast one by using Borat on the ad” in the legal documents because he has no connection whatsoever to the company. The Trial of the Chicago 7 actor said he doesn’t even smoke weed and would never join an ad campaign for marijuana.

The 49-year-old actor is suing Solar Therapeutics for at least $9 million in damages and wants the court to block the cannabis company from using his name, image and likeness to promote its products.

You can see the billboard Borat ad here.

9 Celebrities with Marijuana/CBD Brands

• Carlos Santana – Mirayo by Santana

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  In October 2020, Carlos Santana announced his cannabis line Mirayo by Santana, which offers tins of five 1/2-gram pre-rolls and 7-gram jars of whole flower. The brand consists of four different cannabis strains: Sativa, Hybrid, Indica and CBD.

• Rob Gronkowski – CBDMedic

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  Gronk announced that he has partnered with Abacus Health in launching a new line of CBD products called CBDMedic. The former New England Patriots tight end said he “...immediately made CBDMedic part of my recovery. And now for the first time in more than a decade, I am pain-free. And that is a big deal.” He hopes the NFL will allow players to use CBD in the future to help with pain management.

• Willie Nelson – Willie’s Reserve

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  In addition to actual marijuana, Willie’s Reserve also sells cannabis-infused chocolate and hard edibles.
• Whoopi Goldberg – Whoopi & Maya

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  The Academy Award-winning actress and co-host of 'The View' got into the medical marijuana business in 2008 along with Om Edibles founder Maya Elisabeth.  Their Whoopi & Maya line of bath products, body balms, tinctures and edibles is marketed toward women looking for natural relief of painful menstrual cycles.

• Bob Marley Performs On Stage

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  Not only does Marley Natural sell its own “legal herbs,” it also features a whole line of high-end pipes and storage containers.

• Melissa Etheridge – Greenway Wine

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  Etheridge used medical marijuana when she was battling cancer in the early 2000s, and since then she’s partnered with Greenway Compassionate Relief to create Greenway Wine, a wine infused with pot.
• Tommy Chong – Chong’s Choice

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  The comedian’s product line is available in Arizona, California, Colorado, Montana, Oregon and Washington and includes pre-rolled joints to THC breath strips. Chong's Choice has also expanded to include various CBD products, including vape pens, edibles and tincture.

• Carey Hart – HartLuck CBD

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  Motocross athlete/P!nk's husband Carey Hart recently announced his CBD brand, HartLuck CBD, which features tinctures, salves, and gel capsules.

• Ivan Moody – Moody’s Medicinals

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  The Five Finger Death Punch frontman recently announced his new CBD company, Moody's Medicinals, back in June 2019 that includes CBD throat sprays and CBD water.