Every year the top Oscar nominees receive swag bags that have included gifts from luxury holidays to sweat-absorbing patches, worth upwards of $100,000.
This year, they can calm their nerves ahead of the awards on Sunday with a range of cannabis-infused products that will be included in the goody bags. Chocolates infused with 10mg tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the part of the cannabis plant that creates a high, will be sent to nominees including Glenn Close, Regina King, Mahershala Ali and Melissa McCarthy.
The swag bags are sent to all 25 Academy Award nominees in the acting and directing categories by marketing company Distinctive Assets, according to a release emailed to CNBC on Monday. It has no affiliation with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, organizer of the Oscars, a fact that it points out prominently in its press release, after the Academy sued it for copyright infringement in 2016.
Contributors pay upwards of $4,000 to be included in the swag bags, and in return they get "bragging rights" according to Distinctive Assets founderLash Fary.
Among the quirkier gifts handed out this year there are private "phobia relief" sessions and a Mister Poop emoji toilet plunger. Luxurious gifts include a week at the Golden Door spa in California (worth around $10,000), a vacation at high-end Greek resort Avaton Luxury Villas, where a one-night stay in July starts from €688 ($779) and an Amazon cruise starting at $6,000.
Imagine being one of the top actors in the world consistently and getting these hundred thousand dollar gift bags ON TOP of all that comes with being nominated for an Academy Award...Hollywood is weird, man. Having said that, I DEFINITELY want to be nominated for an Oscar someday. Yes, I understand that only the Top 25 Nominees (Best Male Lead, Female Lead, Director and, I assume, Best Supporting) but I can do that someday! I went to school for acting, how hard can it be? I just need to give up my life in radio and music, get an agent, devote my life to the role I'm playing, and then campaign for a nomination. No big deal. If Jared Leto can have a SAG Award, A Golden Globe, an Academy Award AND an MTV VMA, so can I. Does anyone have Glenn Close's number? I'm sure she won't be using her bag as much as everyone else on that list. @Traceahamilton