Marijuana Influencers, Or ‘WeedTubers’, Reportedly See Growing Presence On YouTube

While YouTube is home to countless burgeoning content communities, one in particular seems to be gaining traction today, particularly given the increasing move toward marijuana legalization in regions of the United States. In a new report, The Guardian takes a look at self-described ‘WeedTubers’ — or channels dedicated to all things pot.

In addition to videos with an informative bent or challenges involving extreme smoking feats, many viewers flock to WeedTube channels — such as StrainCentral (currently with over 375,000 subscribers), xCodeh (currently with over 380,000 subscribers), Kimmy Tan (currently with over 195,000 subscribers), and Coral Reefer (currently with over 118,000 subscribers) — simply to be in the company of another smoker, The Guardian reports.

And this can be a somewhat lucrative proposition for creators. While Google

does not enable monetization for age-restricted videos, including those that showcase drug use, and Instagram frequently shutters marijuana-centric accounts, many WeedTubers are still able to make YouTube a full-time job through sponsorships, branded content deals, and merchandising. For instance, Hemper, a subscription box service for smoking accessories, pays popular creators between $300 and $1,000 per video to promote its product, according to The Guardian.

Today, the most popular WeedTuber is Joel Hradecky, who counts 1.2 million subscribers on his CustomGrow420 channel. Hradecky’s most popular video shows him smoking out of a 30-inch bong (2.7 million views).

For more about the WeedTube phenomenon, check out The Guardian’s report right here.