Rogan & Franco Market Weed; Especially to Children

For years I have watched many James Franco and Seth Rogan films, all of which, some of the funniest comedies I have ever had the privilege to watch. The jokes are endless, the lines you can quote with your friends, and the acting is very well done for 2 men who are more comedians than they are actors. Classics from Knocked Up (2007), Pine Apple Express (2008), This is the End (2013), and The Interview (2014). They are also working on a 3D animated film about a sausage called Sausage Party, which is scheduled to be released in 2016. With this said, the two have clearly collaborated on some entertaining comedies. The good thing is, nearly all of their comedies are rated R. The bad thing is, with how the internet is set up, how society is today, and how easy it is for a ten year old to log in to Netflix and watch a rated R movie, it is easy for children to view this material; and the one constant with all of their movies; weed.

Pineapple Express is all about weed, mentions of random types of weed, finding new kinds of weed, and being so happy while high is throughout the entire movie. They even refer to a certain kind of weed as being the “dopest dope I’ve ever smoked.”  

There is even a scene where James and Seth are handing a group of kids weed and they are trying it for the first time.

  The Interview has plenty of references to smoking weed, which with its wildly popular yet highly questionable release, nearly everyone had an opportunity to watch it.  A movie critic for www.Pajiba.com by the name of Dustin Rowles even goes as far to say that “So much of it could’ve only been funny in the mind of someone who was blazed out of his head, which is great for a certain kind of audience, but for the rest of us, it was like being the sober guy at a party of rambling potheads who are under the illusion that their rambling banalities are actually enlightening.” Personally I had seen the movie both high and sober, it was much more funny the second time I had seen it high, so I can relate to his critique. The movie Knocked Up, is similar in its own right, Seth Rogan’s characters name in it is “Ben STONE. He basically plays an irresponsible boyfriend who becomes a stoner dad by accident. Finally, in the movie This is the End, the actors play themselves, ultimately referring to each other by their first name. So when Seth Rogan is referred to by his first name, and he is smoking weed on camera, children are even more inclined to think that it is ok, especially if he is doing it and not acting.

Also, in This is the End, there is a scene where the actors Danny Mcbride, Jonah Hill, Dave Franco, Seth Rogan, and Craig Robinson make a spoof to the movie Pineapple Express. It is short, and 2 minutes long, and Jonah Hill plays a character named Woody Harelson where he declares that “Weed is for the people, it’s the people’s weed."

The point is simple, Seth Rogan especially, views weed as a good thing and he indirectly markets it to children and others throughout all of his movies. Believe it or not, Dave Franco on the other hand, does not smoke weed, yet supports the freedom to do so. On a radio show with Howard Stern in 2014, Dave Franco admits in reference to smoking weed that "I just haven’t done it in a long time… There is just no need.” He continued to say, "I don't think it's any different than somebody having a glass of wine or something at lunch for Seth," Franco says. "But other people can't handle it." Yet with this said, Seth Rogan continues to be an active supporter.

Through media, radio, television, magazines, and his movies, Seth has made a huge impact to legalize marijuana. We have already covered his movies, yet there is also this magazine cover for a website geared towards legalizing marijuana.  He has also gone on David Letterman ad talked about his smoking habits. World Movie Trailers has also made a video ranking the top 10 weed smoking videos of all time, Knocked up and Pineapple Express appear at numbers 7 and 3 respectively. 

The point is simple, Seth Rogan, alongside fellow actor Dave Franco, hand the public an image of fun. They are always happy, always smiling, always having an amazing time when smoking. Though this may not work on educated adults, children are even more tempted to try the drug, and as we know, it is extremely easy to find, for anyone of any age.

The interesting thing, is that society is jumping on board the legalization train, and that may not be a bad thing, but still, children can not be subject to this trend. According to people-press.org, we can see how through multiple studies, society has viewed marijuana over the past 40+ years and how they believe it should be legalized. We can also see how society believes it is no longer a moral issue.

The affects on children are simple as well, according to drugabuse.gov, “although marijuana use has remained relatively stable over the past few years, there continues to be a shifting of teens’ attitudes about its perceived risks. The majority of high school seniors do not think occasional marijuana smoking is harmful, with only 36.1 percent saying that regular use puts the user at great risk, compared to 39.5 percent in 2013 and 52.4 percent in 2009.” The decrease has been dramatic which I find interesting. Just in 6 years from 2014, when this study was last done, nearly a 16% decrease in individuals viewing marijuana as harmful is shocking. Media and Seth Rogan specifically, play a huge role in this decline.

Works Cited

Falcon, Dana Rose. "James Franco: Why I Don't Smoke Pot." People. People Magazine,            15 Dec. 2014. Web. 24 Sept. 2015.

"High School and Youth Trends." DrugFacts:. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.                   

"Majority Now Supports Legalizing Marijuana." Pew Research Center for the People     and the Press RSS. 4 Apr. 2013. Web 25 Sept. 2015.

"Hello Little Hobbit - Spark My Ganja!" YouTube. YouTube. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

"Pineapple Express Dopest Dope." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 25            Sept. 2015.

"Pineapple Express - Getting Stoned." YouTube. YouTube. Web.            25 Sept. 2015.

"TOP 10 Weed Smok'n Movies of All Time HD." YouTube.            YouTube. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.

"Weed Is for the People, It's the People's Weed - Jonah Hill as Woody Harrelson." YouTube. YouTube. Web. 25 Sept. 2015.