At Mary Jane Berlin, the legendary Rick Ross isn't looking backward. He's looking worldwide.

The man known around the globe as "Freeway Rick Ross" has spent decades at the center of conversations around the war on drugs, criminal justice, and second chances. Today, he's channeling that experience into a different kind of legacy: building a legal global brand.

At Mary Jane Berlin, Ross officially introduced Freeway OG to the German medical market, partnering with longtime collaborator Christian and an international team to bring premium California genetics into one of Europe's fastest-growing regulated markets.

"We're supporting Rick's new brand," his team explained from the show floor. "We're bringing his California brand right into Germany through German medical. LA Kingpins' Freeway OG—coming to a pharmacy near you."

Unlike traditional recreational launches, the product is entering Germany exclusively through licensed pharmacies, reflecting the country's medical framework.

"Only pharmacies," Christian said. "We're legal producers. It's only going to come to pharmacies, as it should be."

For Ross, that's part of what makes this moment meaningful.

"Definitely you don't have to look over your back," he said. "You ain't worried about going to prison forever. It's just a wonderful thing when you can cross over into the legal field."

The genetics themselves were a major focus.

"We know everybody wants to be stoned," Ross laughed. "So we got that part. We have to give them that part."

Christian added that consistency was just as important as potency.

"We're always somewhere in the thirty-something percent THC, and we don't go below two-and-a-half percent terpenes. It has a nose—and usually the stuff you get elsewhere doesn't taste like it smells. Ours does."

From California to the World

Ross's brand has already spent several years building its reputation in California, but Mary Jane Berlin marked the beginning of something much larger.

"We've already been in California for almost five years now," Ross said. "The brand has been around for a while, but Bo brought it to my attention that let's take it global. And I'm so glad she did."

According to his team, Germany is only the beginning.

"The next step was going global," they explained. "We're looking at the UK, South Africa, Kenya, Portugal—France is opening up too. We look forward to doing that."

As international markets continue to evolve, Ross believes Europe represents an opportunity not only for business but also for changing perceptions.

Education Over Incarceration

Few people have experienced America's drug policies from as many angles as Rick Ross.

Asked whether governments should continue criminalizing drug use, he didn't hesitate.

"I don't think that criminalizing drugs is the way to go."

Instead, Ross argued that society has relied too heavily on punishment instead of prevention.

"When they put guys in jail, they go to jail and they sell drugs inside the jailhouse. Then as soon as they get out, they sell drugs again."

His solution is simple.

"We're going to have to educate—not incarcerate."

Ross believes the financial incentives have long favored imprisonment over education.

"It's less money in educating than incarcerating. We've got to get out of that old mindset—lock them up and throw away the key."

Standing inside Europe's largest cannabis exhibition, he reflected on just how dramatically attitudes have shifted.

"This right here is a perfect example. Fifteen or twenty years ago, they would've locked him up for doing marijuana right now. Let's make a change."

Looking Ahead

Beyond expanding Freeway OG internationally, Ross says he's keeping a full schedule.

"I'll be pushing the brand, working on the movie, still pushing my book, doing speaking engagements, educating people on the dangers of drugs—and also the dangers of incarceration."

He sees those conversations as inseparable.

"I believe incarceration is part of the drug problem. The more people you incarcerate, the higher drugs go up—and the higher they go up, the more people want to sell them."

Throughout the afternoon, attendees lined up to meet him, take photos, and hear stories spanning decades. Ross greeted nearly everyone with the same energy, happily posing for selfies while introducing newcomers to Freeway OG.

As the interview wrapped up, he summed up his ambitions with characteristic confidence.

"I'm going to blow this brand up. Have this brand in every country that's legal. That is my goal."

Then he smiled.

"In everything I do, I want to make it big. I don't want no little bitty stuff. I want everything to be big."

I can also tighten this into a more polished 1,000–1,200 word magazine cover story with a stronger Honeysuckle editorial voice and a more cinematic opening if you're planning to publish it.