Responding to questions about whether this may be a bit of a niche market, she quite rightly pointed out on USA Today that 50% of the population is hardly ‘niche’. She’s also not been backward in coming forward before now about her penchant for the doobie.Whoopi is taking the baton from other celebs who back their own marijuana-based products, including the Marley family’s ‘Marley’s Natural’ products and ‘Leafs by Snoop’.

Goldberg, who has previously spoken about her use of medical marijuana in a column for website The Cannabist, started using a vape pen after she stopped smoking cigarettes and could not smoke joints anymore and found it gave her ‘relief’ from her glaucoma-related headaches.

Dismissing those who claim period pain is a ‘niche’ product, she said she was inspired by her granddaughters who get cramps.

She said: ‘Hey, this niche is half the population on the earth. This seems to be people flippantly blowing you off, which is what you get whenever you start talking about cramps.

‘They weren’t thinking how do you target this? I have grown granddaughters who have severe cramps, so I said this is what I want to work on.’

‘I want to go nice and slow with this. I don’t want this to be a joke to people. It’s not a joke to women,’ she told USA Today.

The marijuana industry is one of the most rapidly growing in the US, according to research, increasing year-on-year by more than 30 per cent.

California is expected to pass a ballot measure later this year that would legalize recreational use of the drug which currently needs a doctor’s recommendation.

Elisabeth told USA Today: ‘I’m excited for people to feel comfortable using cannabis.’

  • With information from Daily Mail, BBC, and The Telegraph