Seth Rogen Talks Difficulties of Navigating Weed Industry, Says ‘Money’ Is Behind Political Pushback

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Seth Rogen, in a new interview, underscores just how “difficult” it can be to navigate the American weed industry, especially in light of sadly predictable moves from Mitch McConnell and other usual suspects aimed at hemp-derived THC products.

The Houseplant co-founder, whose The Studio series is up for Outstanding Comedy at this weekend’s Emmys, recently touched on such issues during a conversation with Ashan Singh for ABC News’ Nightline. In addition to its lineup of smoking accessories and related products, Houseplant is also in the hemp-derived THC beverage space, selling infused sparkling water in a variety of flavors.

“The weed industry in America is very difficult to navigate and incredibly hard to make worth your time, essentially,” Rogen said on Nightline on Monday. “And a lot of people are weird about smoking weed in general. Beverages, I think, are a much more intuitive way to ingest something that affects your mind state.”

While the 2018 Farm Bill, detailed here, allowed for hemp-derived products to carve out a significant space in regions of the country where traditional weed remains illegal for recreational use, some states, like Alabama, have more recently moved to target such products. These efforts have been roundly criticized, with advocates in affected areas noting that small businesses will be pushed to close as a result, leaving those who rely on the products as an alternative to prescription-level pain and anxiety treatments without an immediate path forward.

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Senator McConnell, meanwhile, has also been targeting hemp products as of late, despite previously pushing in support of hemp years earlier.

As Rogen sees it, there’s likely only one thing driving attacks from lawmakers: money.

“I think it’s pressure from other industries, probably, who fear they will lose money as people have more options,” Rogen told Nightline this week. “It’s not based on logic, it’s not based on science, so the only other thing it could be based on is money.”