Culture
Seth Rogen’s Advice On Ending COVID: ‘Smoke Weed And Watch Movies’
Actor Seth Rogen is urging young people to stay home and smoke marijuana rather than risk spreading the coronavirus by going out—and he’s getting praise for his recommendation from a top Canadian politician.
After British Columbia Premier John Horgan put out a call for Rogen and fellow Canadian actor Ryan Reynolds to use their influence to discourage risky behavior amid the pandemic, the comedian tweeted a message urging young people to practice social distancing while consuming cannabis.
People of British Columbia! Please do not go out to parties and BBQs and other large gatherings! The COVID is still out there! It’s more fun to hang out alone and smoke weed and watch movies and TV shows anyway! Do that instead! Thank you!
— Seth Rogen (@Sethrogen) August 15, 2020
“Please do not go out to parties and BBQs and other large gatherings! The COVID is still out there!” Rogen said. “It’s more fun to hang out alone and smoke weed and watch movies and TV shows anyway! Do that instead! Thank you!”
Thanks, Seth. Pretty much what Dr. Henry was going for here:https://t.co/i8Q5YVYa2d https://t.co/3qbos7ov1a
— John Horgan (@jjhorgan) August 15, 2020
Horgan quoted the tweet and thanked the actor, linking to the province’s COVID-19 information website that also encourages people not to “pass around drinks, smokes, tokes, and vapes.”
“Now is not the time for sharing anything that’s been in your mouth,” the site from British Columbia’s provincial health officer states.
But while Rogen’s general recommendation was well taken by the top B.C. elected official, some cannabis enthusiasts have argued that people should consider refraining from smoking it and instead consume using alternative methods given the potential additional risk to the lungs at a time when the virus that targets the respiratory system is spreading.
NORML gave that advice in a post in March, saying that “because COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, some of you may wish to limit or avoid their exposure to combustive smoke — as this can put undue stress and strain on the lungs.”
“Alternative delivery devices, such as vaporizer heating devices can significantly mitigate combustive smoke exposure, and of course, the use of edibles or tinctures can eliminate smoke exposure entirely,” the group wrote to supporters.
Rogen, who co-owns the cannabis company Houseplant, has been known to leverage his celebrity for advocacy purposes in the past. For example, he released a PSA last year that promoted expungements efforts and highlighted issues that stem from having a criminal record.
On a more casual note, Rogen and Snoop Dogg offered advice to first-time cannabis consumers last year in a joint appearance on Howard Stern’s show, emphasizing the need to take it slow in the beginning.
Rogen also became an outspoken activist for research into Alzheimer’s after he witnessed his mother-in-law develop the disease.
In 2014, he opened his testimony before a Senate committee hearing on Alzheimer’s research by joking that he wasn’t there to discuss the topic some might expect: marijuana.
Combining the two issues last year, Rogen hosted a cannabis-fueled charity carnival to raise money for Alzheimer’s research.
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Photo courtesy of Martin Alonso.
