Almost 42 years after Elvis Presley died of a drug overdose his estate is getting into the CBD business, or at least the CBD for dogs business.
Better Choice Company, makers of CBD health and wellness products for animals, announced a partnership with Authentic Brands Group, which owns Elvis Presley Enterprises LLC, to launch a line of CBD pet products under the Elvis Presley Hound Dog brand.
“We’re thrilled to partner with ABG on the launch of all-new Elvis Presley products,” said Damian Dalla-Longa, co-CEO of Better Choice in a prepared statement. “It’s important to align Better Choice with brands that are iconic and have global consumer appeal. As one of the most celebrated figures in music and pop culture and avid dog lover, the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s influence is unmatched.”
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During his lifetime Presley was famously an animal lover, with a particularly warm spot in his heart for dogs.
The official Graceland blog reports that Elvis had many pets over the years, including a turkey named Bowtie, a mynah bird that repeated the excuses he heard for Presley being unavailable (“Elvis is asleep,” “Elvis isn’t available,” “Elvis isn’t here.”), two wallabys from Australian fans (he donated both to the Memphis zoo), various farm animals and many dogs — Sherlock, Brutus, Snoopy, Edmund, and Get Lo, a Chow he once had flown back and forth to Boston on his private plane for kidney treatment. He often gave dogs as gifts, such as the poodle, Honey, he gave to his wife, Priscilla, for Christmas 1962.
Presley was beloved by millions of fans worldwide, not least among them President Richard Nixon. According to a memorandum written after a meeting of Nixon and Presley at the White House, the King of Rock ‘n Roll denounced the Beatles as “a real force for anti-American spirit.” The memo noted “Presley spent most of the rest of the meeting telling Mr Nixon that he wanted to give his name to the administration’s law-and-order campaign “to restore some respect to the flag”.
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Nixon, doubtless unaware that Presley had a multifaceted addiction to various prescriptions drugs, awarded him a special badge from the Bureau of Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs, a precursor to the Drug Enforcement Agency. Presley’s death August 16, 1977, was originally reported as “cardiac arrhythmia” without any drugs involved. That finding was soon contradicted by a toxicology report which found very high levels of the opiates Dilaudid, Percodan, Demerol and codeine, as well as Quaaludes, in Presley’s blood.
“Better Choice’s dedication to championing the health and wellness of ‘man’s best friend’ is admirable and we are pleased to join them in their mission through this partnership,” said Daniel W. Dienst, ABG’s executive vice chairman, in a prepared statement. “Launching Elvis Presley Hound Dog chews and treats infused with CBD is a natural extension of the Elvis Presley brand as Elvis loved his dogs as much as we do. We are excited to collaborate with Better Choice on this category.”
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