Celebrities & Cannabis: Seth Rogen’s Houseplant

By Kit Foreman

In early August of 2008, two little films went head-to-head at the box office. Surprising nobody, The Dark Knight came out on top – but a little cannabis comedy called Pineapple Express came in second. Overall, it grossed $101.5 million dollars worldwide, and wrote Seth Rogen into the annals of stoner history.

Now, Rogen has made stoner history yet again with the 2021 release of his cannabis line, Houseplant. Houseplant is a joint venture with his long-time partner Evan Goldberg (not coincidentally, the man who co-wrote Pineapple Express with Rogen). Though it was originally released only in Rogen and Goldberg’s homeland of Canada, Houseplant has made its way to a small group of distributors in the United States and can now be purchased in California.

There are really two sides to the Houseplant company; the “house” side, and the “plant” side. On the plant side, of course, is the cannabis – their website describes their cannabis as “for people who love weed, by people who love weed.” They state that Rogen and Goldberg have “hand-selected (and constantly smoked)” each strain under the Houseplant brand.

On the flip side of the Houseplant brand is the “house” piece. In 2019, Rogen began sharing his handmade ceramics with his Instagram followers. They became unexpectedly popular and he brought his designs with him to the Houseplant brand. From table lighters to ashtrays, there are a variety of fun and funky things to peruse, and they all have a delightful midcentury modern flair. While they are not Rogen originals, they are heavily based on his designs (including an “impossible to lose” gigantic tabletop lighter).

So, are the plants of Houseplant so good they’ll make you feel “like a slice of butter… melting on top of a big ol’ pile of flapjacks”? Well, the strains available differ depending on whether you’re purchasing in Canada or California, but the general consensus seems to be that while Houseplant is expensive, it’s high quality.

“The THC in Houseplant packs a nice wallop, and the terpenes are impressive,” writes Mary Jane Gibson of Leafly. In her experience, it “lives up to the hype.”

Sangeeta Singh-Kurtz and Katie Heaney of The Cut write, “Houseplant is exactly what Houseplant positions itself to be: an ordinary smoking experience… something you might easily integrate in your day-to-day.”

Jackie Bryant of Uproxx even titled an article, “We Tested Seth Rogen’s New Weed and It’s Pretty Damn Great.”

As Rogen highlighted in an interview with The Cut in March of 2021, Houseplant also desires to emphasize diversity, equity, and inclusion in their brand. “Based on conversations with dozens of policymakers, investors, advocacy groups, etc., we [Houseplant] decided to invest in programs and partnerships that centered around leveraging our expansive network/unique skill sets to assist underserved entrepreneurs through mentorship and to raise awareness around policy issues and the terrible history of the war on drugs.”

Overall, while it may seem like celebrity cannabis has become the new version of celebrity fragrance lines, Houseplant is a company with the drive and the ability to make a high-quality cannabis with a solid ethical foundation. We are looking forward to keeping an eye on this venture — Seth, if you bring this to Oregon, call us!