Advertisement 1

Seth Rogen, Evan Goldberg talk Houseplant beverages

Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg discuss their "passion" for weed.

Article content

Weed has been an “integral part” of both Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s day-to-day lives for the past 20 years.

Advertisement 2
Story continues below
Article content

“It’s something that I have always felt very passionately about,” Rogen says of the substance, which was legalized in Canada in October 2018. “I could talk about weed for literally 10 hours straight.”

For the Hollywood actor and comedian, cannabis is an essential element.

Article content

“For me, weed allows my life to be much more liveable than it would be without weed,” Rogen said via video conference. “In the exact same way that this sweater I’m wearing allows my life to be a lot more liveable than it would be without it because I would be cold. I don’t view this sweater as a vice, I view it as something that I need to live in the world in a way that I find to be functional and comfortable.”

The duo’s affinity for cannabis has led the longtime collaborators — Rogen and Goldberg are the masterminds of films including Superbad, Pineapple Express, and This is the End — and Vancouverites to share their love of weed with the world (or Canada, at least for now) through their venture Houseplant.

Advertisement 3
Story continues below
Article content

Offering a variety of products including Flowers, Pre-Roll (pre-rolled joints), Soft Gels and Beverages, the company aims to provide “quality, curated cannabis products” while also tackling the long-associated stigmas that cannabis users face.

“As I became someone with more notoriety, I was always very happy to talk about how I didn’t think being a successful, functional, emotionally available member of society and being someone who smokes weed all day, every day were mutually exclusive,” Rogen says. “Actions speak louder than words. And just being people who smoke weed all day, every day and also participate in their lives in a functional capacity — at a bare minimum, and a thriving one at best — I think people can just look at us and see that a lot of the things they’ve been told about how weed effects one’s life is just wrong.”

Advertisement 4
Story continues below
Article content

When formulating the early product lineup, Rogen and Goldberg say they had “a lot of feelings” about what a cannabis company could be. Focussing on elements of design first, they set out to make the entrée into cannabis use more approachable to those who had never tried it.

“We would always joke that it would generally be something you would hide under your coffee table and maybe it could be something you display on your shelf instead,” Rogen says of the minimalist branding and monochromatic, colourful packaging. “And that just kind of spoke to the overall desire we had to treat weed with reverence, not like some sort of inferior product in any way, shape or form. But something we truly believe is one of the best products available.”

Advertisement 5
Story continues below
Article content

Houseplant’s two beverages — sparkling water in a can with natural lemon or grapefruit flavour infused with a standardized dose of 2.5 mg of sativa-dominant THC — launched this summer. Edible cannabis, in either food or beverage form, was legalized in Canada in October 2019 and is limited to 10 mg of THC per package, according to the Government of Canada. The beverage format sees drinks infused with CBD, THC, or combinations of other cannabinoids.

“A huge part of our thinking with all of this was we didn’t want to reinvent something here. We just wanted to have something that we already had in our lives, and then have it delivered, as far as cannabis, in a way we had never experienced before,” Goldberg explains of the choice of beverage base. “It’s mostly based on our personal life preferences. We both love to consume lightly flavoured sparkling water. I lean slightly more to lemon, Seth leans more to grapefruit. Though, I concede that I think our grapefruit might be better and it’s slowly swaying me.”

Advertisement 6
Story continues below
Article content
Houseplant Grapefruit beverage.
Houseplant Grapefruit beverage. Handout

The products, they say, were designed to feel like something people had experienced “a million times before.”

“We’re not trying to introduce people to two new things. We are trying to introduce them to one new thing,” Rogen says. “A lot of people are trying to introduce people to both cannabis beverages, which is new, and a flavour they’ve never had before. And I think, to us, that was too much.

“If you’re going to try to get people to try a new thing … to us, it’s all about balance and if you have something that is incredibly innovative, it’s probably good to try to anchor it with something that is incredibly familiar.”

Effects of cannabis-infused beverages, according to the Government of British Columbia include a high, with “unpleasant effects” possible from overconsumption including “extreme sedation,” “anxiety,” and “respiratory depression.” The recommended dose for first-time users is the “careful small-dose approach” of 2.5 mg THC. The effect of eating or drinking cannabis products is delayed as the substances is absorbed through the digestive tract, taking an average of 30 minutes to two hours to occur and lasting for up to 12 hours, depending on individual factors such as weight and metabolism.

Advertisement 7
Story continues below
Article content

Unlike alcoholic drinks, Rogen says, cannabis-infused beverages don’t cause a hangover.

“There’s a new stigma right now where people in their head want to link it to alcohol,” Rogen says. “Our drinks have no sugar, very few calories. They don’t bear the weight that alcohol does on your system. And I think, to that end, one does not need to give themselves the same excuses to enjoy it as they do with a beer, which is genuinely terrible for you.”

Since the launch, the beverages have been a top-selling cannabis drink in B.C., where they are sold in more than 140 cannabis stores.

“It’s nice when you conceive of something and it hits the mark in the way that you hoped it would. Because, that doesn’t always happen,” Rogen says. “We just knew people would like these drinks. Because, we know that people like sparkling water, and we know that people like weed.”

Advertisement 8
Story continues below
Article content

The popularity in their home province doesn’t surprise Rogen.

“I’m thrilled the people of B.C. like it. From an ego standpoint I will assume it’s because we’re from there,” Rogen says with his trademark laugh. “I actually think the beverage is better than I am in a lot of ways, so I don’t take personal credit for it. I think B.C. has a very experienced cannabis market. B.C. bud is famous the world over. And I think what’s exciting about our beverages, what I’ve heard, is that people who are extremely experienced with cannabis really like them because it is a new way to give you something that you’ve long integrated into your life, and people who have long wanted to try some sort of weed-based product but haven’t found an entry point that seems accessible to them have been really accessible to them.”

Rogen says the no-sugar and low-calorie factors also likely appeal to B.C.’s “health conscious” population.

“It is something that, again, can seamlessly be integrated into one’s life and that’s something we were enthusiastic about,” Rogen says. “So, I think if you are a health-conscious person, as I know people in B.C. are, I think it’s particularly appealing to that category, it seems.”

Aharris@postmedia.com

Article content
Comments
You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.
Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.

Latest National Stories
    News Near Tillsonburg
      This Week in Flyers