Rohan Marley Reveals He Smoked ‘Herb’ on the White House Lawn: ‘My Ice Cream with the Cherry on Top’ (Exclusive)

For Rohan Marley, the highs far outweigh the lows.

The Jamaican businessman and son of the late reggae legend and activist Bob Marley is well known for his love of marijuana, which is linked to his cultural beliefs and lifestyle.

“I was born this way,” Marley, 51, tells PEOPLE. “As Rastafarians, we look at herbs as a sacrament, with all the medicinal components as well as the psychosis component.”

That’s why he says it’s only natural that he launched his cannabis line and lifestyle brand Lion Order. “Growing up as a young man in Jamaica in the 70s, I learned a lot about how herbs can help people. This is the perfect opportunity now that the stigma has been removed.”

Rohan Marley.

Nikhil Chitre

In his view, the growing pressure to legalize marijuana has produced the level of widespread acceptance that his father had hoped for. “That’s what my father talked about,” he says. “It’s taken such a burden off just life and the way they think about us. It used to be looked at so badly. We were put down because we smoked, but now you realize lawyers smoke weed, judges smoke weed, all these people with clean faces and hairstyles smoke weed.”

Lion’s Order Cannabis.

Nikhil Chitre

And according to Marley, the “plant” has even made it to 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

When asked who is the coolest person he’s ever smoked with, Marley was coy. “I would say forget about person I smoked with, but how could I smoke anywhere,” he offers, before answering his own question. “Smoking on the front lawn of the White House was like my ice cream with a cherry on top. That was the one.”

Rohan Marley.

Nikhil Chitre

Marley doesn’t elaborate, but offers another great memory: the first time his dad caught him smoking. “I started young. I was smoking once and my dad saw me and said ‘Hey, boy, where did you get that? Who gives you that? Take it out of your mouth!'” he recalls with a laugh, adding that day, “Dad embarrassed me .”

Bob Marley at Tower Records Hollywood in 1979.

Chris Walter/WireImage

Next year, he and his many siblings are preparing to celebrate their father’s legacy with the release of the much-anticipated film Bob Marley: One Love, executive produced by his brother Ziggy Marley, and will hit theaters in January. “When I watched it, I got goosebumps,” he says of actor Kingsley Ben-Adir’s portrayal of the icon. “Speaking as Bob’s family, he’s spot on.”

‘Bob Marley: One Love’ Trailer — See Kingsley Ben-Adir as Late Singer in New Biopic

He adds: “I’m just happy. Everything Marley says about love. What we’re doing with the movie, with the Lion Order, with life. We’re just continuing the message of Rastafari, which is love, peace, tranquility and togetherness.”

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Source: HIS Education