Canadian actor Seth Rogen, who recently launched his own cannabis brand in partnership with Canopy Growth, believes that the Canadian government should reconsider its strategy against combating the black market for marijuana.
In an interview with The Canadian Press, the Pineapple Express star described Ottawa’s current efforts as “not incredibly helpful if their actual goal is to destroy the black market.”
According to Rogen, people have less incentive to sell weed legally due to the complex and expensive procedure for setting up dispensaries.
“There’s a reason that we don’t buy alcohol illegally anymore. It’s because no one has any incentive to sell illegally because they made it very easy to sell alcohol. The beer industry has been enabled to thrive in a way that the cannabis industry has not right now and until they are the same, the black market will continue to thrive,” Rogen explained.
Statistics Canada reported in August that household spending on recreational cannabis reached $648 million in the second quarter of 2020, while spending on illicit cannabis dipped to $784 million, indicating the gap between legal and illegal pot sales has narrowed.
However, this period corresponds to the height of the coronavirus pandemic, when people were unlikely to go outside and meet street dealers.
Rogen’s brand, Houseplant, launched earlier last year with the release of its first beverage, a refreshing grapefruit-flavored sparkling water infused with 2.5 mg of THC.
Along with his business partner, screenwriter Evan Goldberg who co-wrote the stoner favorite Pineapple Express with the actor, Rogen’s Houseplant is launching a new lemon-flavored cannabis beverage as well. All of Houseplant’s strains are grown at Canopy Growth’s facilities in Smiths Falls, Ontario.
During the interview, Rogen compared smoking weed to wearing glasses, explaining that marijuana is just “something I need to navigate my life.”
“People have tried to make me feel shame about it over the years or have tried to make me seem like I’m weak or stupid for integrating it so completely into my life, but I’m almost 40 now, I’m married, I have a good job and I have just found that none of the stigmas I was told to be true are true,” the actor shared.
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Jelena Cikes
Writer and journalist specialized in financial markets and American politics. Pop culture aficionado, travel junkie, YouTube devotee.
Mark Conlin October 28, 2020 at 7:25 pm
He’s right, but he’s not saying anything that the government and corporate cannabis haven’t been told - BY THE BLACK MARKET PIONEERS - since before legalization. If Seth really wants to succeed in this venture, get Canopy to lobby the federal government (Health Canada) to provide a Drug Identification Number (DIN) for medical cannabis. That would allow us to use our insurance to make our purchases. NO BLACK MARKET! C’mon! We’re tired of telling you guys! Get your shit together!
Nathaniel Kemp November 2, 2020 at 5:01 am
Hear hear! 🤓👍🏻
Mike November 2, 2020 at 10:07 pm
Seth is right! We need more well known faces that are wise to the industry and the plant in general to push for full legalization world wide. As long at dispensaries are charging ridiculous amounts for cannabis the black market will remain. Once the prices dip and taxed less we will see that vanish.
Robert Katz December 3, 2020 at 1:55 pm
Weed may not have made Seth Rogen stupid, but it doesn't appear to have made him very smart either. His "celebrity" endorsement of the stuff (“something I need to navigate my life”) helps black market operators to peddle *their* merchandise as well as legal sellers. According to his own admission, Rogen is high every waking minute of his life. ("[He] compared smoking weed to wearing glasses"). Wow, I sure wish I were in your shoes, Seth!
Eric EZE October 13, 2021 at 8:23 pm
Be careful what you wish for some people grow up not knowing in are day the crude bad drugs they give kids and people for some mental and health problems or they are life in and outers of jail .cannabis balances some people out. like I was a workaholic 3 jobs bran always racing insomnia to the point I'd fall out for 3days or on bunch of Bensos from the Dr to keep me in school. When I found weed at an early age I didn't need it anymore this fat kid on lots of benzodiazepines at 9 yrs old thanks doc.lol. but people that need it do not get high of it they come down to a normal speed louder of fast people anyway on weed made it boss everywhere I ever worked and ones 4 legal businesses painting cars and houses waiting tables at night all on weed not lazy at all now I need for pain some guy messed up and I shattered my heals crushed my ankles and broke both my knees my 5 bottom disk all cut up now .in pain all time can't afford to pay a dispensary and insurance doesn't help some states give free ounces of weed to you medical each month thank god Virginia is finally League and to grow but only 4 boo but o what to do. I'm 48 disabled for life and medical weed is my 24/7 come trade places with me for a day. Its not all that. EZE
Sean July 7, 2021 at 12:04 pm
I second Robert Katz. I like Rogan’s comedy, but he’s not much of a thinker (how could he be, being blitzed out of his skull 24/7?). I love weed, but I also respect it; I also love Irish Whiskey. Both have been the source of very creative, insightful observations, which rapidly decrease in direct proportion to increasing usage. I kind of hate this about Rogan, actually; were he to advocate moderate usage, that would go far- but to make a false equivalence with corrective eyewear? Seriously.