Why is Gene Simmons the “Chief Evangelist” for a Vancouver Cannabis Company?

Gene Simmons is famous for a few things, like being a member of KISS, and having an obscene tongue and the braggadocio to match. It’s a reputation that seems at odds with another famed trait of his: straight-edge living.

The 68-year-old musician and entrepreneur has never smoked or done drugs in his life, and doesn’t touch alcohol. Which made it so surprising to hear that he has recently been named “Chief Evangelist Officer” for Vancouver’s Invictus MD—a cannabis company.

It’s not the only thing the notoriously marketing-savvy Simmons has on the go right now–he’s got a deal with 7-Eleven in the works, is set to release a $2,000 KISS box set and a new book about celebrities dying at 27, and is planning a world tour—but his connection with Invictus definitely gives one reason to take pause. Why would someone so staunchly against drugs sign on to “evangelize” them?

For one, there’s money to be made (and history has shown that Simmons loves money). Invictus has been slyly raising capital and acquiring companies with Canadian cultivation licences since 2014, providing growers with capital for expansion, and is now poised to spring into action as a distributor when recreational marijuana is legalized on October 17 of this year. “It’s about speed to market,” explains Dan Kriznic, the chairman, founder and director for Invictus. “The provinces aren’t even really ready for this and it’s gonna be a nightmare for the first little bit…but we’re ready to go.”

Invictus is one of many cannabis companies to approach Simmons for investment dollars, but it seems as though Simmons has bet on the right horse: Invictus’s website has been a flurry of activity the past few days, announcing a new supply agreement with the BC Liquor Distribution Branch, a collaboration with branding company ABG to launch lifestyle-inspired product lines and the acquisition of new strains and farmland.

Simmons claims, however, that his involvement isn’t all about the money (though Invictus tellingly trades under the name GENE). As “CEO,” his role goes far beyond that of an investor: “We wanted a storyteller,” says Kriznic.