# What do they use to stand in for marijuana in movies? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 14, 2000, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498 "2000-12-14T06:19:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![occ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/1 "2000-12-14T06:19:20Z")
That’s right. You’re watching a drug comedy (or any movie involving pot). You see characters smoking marijuana. Common sense tells us that they wouldn’t _really_ be smoking the stuff; however, on the other hand, the people who make these movies are often notorious potheads, so I wouldn’t put it past them. What’s the deal? Do they just burn (and inhale…ugh) a similar looking plant? Is it dried oregano? Do Hollywood prop departments stock faux marijuana as a matter of course? Or are these actors truly documenting their use of an illegal substance? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/2 "2000-12-14T06:28:37Z")
If you go to your local book store or porn shop and pick up a copy of High Times magazine, you’ll see ads for “legal smoking herbs” touted as “marijuana alternatives”. “Looks. smells, and same effect as the real thing” the ads claim. (Looks & smells yes, but several people have told me these things will make you dizzy at best, not stoned) So I would think when showing bags of dope movie producers probably use look alike herbs. As far as showing actors smoking a joint, they probably have good 'ol tobacco in there. ---
**Author:** ![neutron\_star](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/51bf81/32.png) [@neutron\_star](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/neutron_star)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/3 "2000-12-14T06:32:12Z")
I can’t speak for all movies here, but I think I read somewhere that they were smoking real dope in _Easy Rider_. I really wouldn’t be surprised to find out that they smoke the real thing in some movies nowadays. After all, the penalty for possession of less than an ounce isn’t much worse than a parking ticket in California these days, if I’m not mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![jb\_farley](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9d8465/32.png) [@jb\_farley](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jb_farley)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/4 "2000-12-14T07:59:12Z")
**pk** , I believe you’re right about Easy Rider. I remember reading stories about how bombed Nicholson and Hopper got between takes. Friday, as well. Chris Tucker’s eyes are mad red in a lot of the porch scenes. (_Act Five scene one, toke two, aaannndd ACTION_) jb ---
**Author:** ![longjohn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@longjohn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/longjohn)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/5 "2000-12-14T13:32:14Z")
Quote: (Act Five scene one, toke two, aaannndd ACTION) /End Quote or: Light 'em up, Camera, Action! Naah, yours is better, jb ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/6 "2000-12-14T14:23:14Z")
On _Saturday Night Live_’s first season, there was a scene where Chevy Chase (remember him?) was playing Gerald Ford (how about him?) trying to roll a joint. According to later claims, real marijuana was used for the scene. But generally, I suspect that pkbites is correct and faux marijuana is used. I imagine most filmmakers are not willing to risk the chance of having their production locked up in legal problems just to be “authentic”. ---
**Author:** ![occ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/8c91f0/32.png) [@occ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/occ)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/7 "2000-12-14T18:16:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by jb\_farley \* > \*\ ***pk** , I believe you’re right about Easy Rider. I remember reading stories about how bombed Nicholson and Hopper got between takes. > > Friday, as well. Chris Tucker’s eyes are mad red in a lot of the porch scenes. > (_Act Five scene one, toke two, aaannndd ACTION_) > jb > > \*\* IMDB says they really were smoking pot in Easy Rider. ‘Friday’ was one I suspected may have had real pot smoking, since Ice Cube was the main guy behind it. ---
**Author:** ![Mayor\_Cow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/bb73d2/32.png) [@Mayor\_Cow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mayor_Cow)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/8 "2000-12-14T19:02:03Z")
I always thought that if an actor goes on camera (is “working”) while drunk or high, he/she would be kicked out of the union thus preventing them from anymore acting jobs (for a while anyway.) cow ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/9 "2000-12-14T19:13:46Z")
Mayor Cow - if what you say were true, the only persons left in the Screen Actors Guild would by Donny and Marie Osmond. ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/10 "2000-12-14T19:27:39Z")
From a FAQ on stagecraft: > [@](#): > > Subject: 11. Spliffs? Joints? Reefers? Marijuana cigarettes? > > Most places the local authorities get upset if you use these on stage, but there are shows where you need them. Some substitutes from r.a.t.stagecraft: > > - Herbal cigarettes, such as ‘Herbal Gold’ (“pleasant, incense-like aroma reminiscent of a Grateful Dead concert”) > - Tobaccoless cigarettes, such as ‘Honey Rose’ or ‘Kickum’ > - Joints rolled from catnip (or catnip tea) (“same plant group as marijuana, so realistic smell; didn’t make the actors sick”) > - Ginseng cigarettes. > - Oregano (?) > - Nettle tea mixed with some mild tobacco (“It was so realistic the narcotics division came backstage after the show…”) > > Make sure your actor knows how to roll a spliff. If they don’t know how, get one of the rest of the cast to show them. Someone will know. A significant part of the audience knows exactly how to roll a spliff, so you want to ensure the show looks realistic to them. For a movie, I imagine what an actor is shown rolling may be different from what they are actually smoking if the scene involves both. You want the stuff you are rolling to look realistic. Since you may have to do several tokes … err … takes of a given scene, you want the actors to be able to continue to do it, both from a standpoint of not being stoned on their asses, and also from the standpoint of having throats left. Not to mention the legalities. ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 11:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/11 "2000-12-14T23:30:09Z")
Oh boy, its probably just tobacco. The rest is acting. ---
**Author:** ![stormy652](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/eb9ed0/32.png) [@stormy652](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stormy652)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/12 "2000-12-14T23:37:22Z")
Well I doubt Snoop Dogg was smoking a cig during his scene in Half Baked…heh… ---
**Author:** ![evilhanz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba8739/32.png) [@evilhanz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/evilhanz)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2000, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/13 "2000-12-14T23:49:38Z")
I’ve heard that oregano is used as a substitute for marijuana, because they burn similarly and can have similar textures. Unless you were smoking it or smelling it… you wouldn’t know the difference on screen anyway. ---
**Author:** ![bashere](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@bashere](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bashere)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/14 "2000-12-15T04:02:31Z")
**if what you say were true, the only persons left in the Screen Actors Guild would by Donny and Marie Osmond.** Well, scientology is pretty strict about the use of drugs (other than the legal ones). So, there are a lot more than just the Osmonds not doing drugs. The was a big deal about the screen in Eyes Wide Shut; rumor has it that Tom Cruise checked in with high-whatever-they-use-for-priests to determine if it was okay to be seen “getting stoned”. It was approved only because the bad effects were clearly shown In my (limited)experiance, catnip is used to approximate the look, and oregano when some one is smoking on screen. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/15 "2000-12-15T04:46:36Z")
Did John Travolta require similar permission before he shot up heroin in _Pulp Fiction_? Of course, once again, the bad effects were shown: do some smack - get machine gunned by Bruce Wills. But tragically so many teens think it’ll never happen to them. ---
**Author:** ![Chas.E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e99b99/32.png) [@Chas.E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chas.E)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/16 "2000-12-15T04:47:30Z")
Come on guys, this is Hollywood we’re talking about. There are stories about one movie producer out on location in the desert who refused to come out of his trailer and finish shooting because he ran out of cocaine, and he would not trust any local sources, just HIS special dealer in LA. So all shooting was stopped for 2 days until said producer could get a courier from Los Angeles. The most common movie stand-in for marijuana is marijuana. ---
**Author:** ![gazpacho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6f9a4e/32.png) [@gazpacho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gazpacho)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/17 "2000-12-15T06:04:48Z")
What were the bad effects of smoking a joint in Eyes wide shut? They talked about stupid things? The story continued? They had to add digital actors in the orgy sceens to get it the NC-17 rating instead of X? ---
**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 6:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/18 "2000-12-15T06:46:50Z")
That would be adding digital figures to get an R instead of an NC-17. There is no rated X. FWIW, the theaters I’ve worked for have used herbal cigarettes… if needed, we’ve just broken them up and bought some rolling paper. Live theater does tend to avoid real smoking onstage, though. ---
**Author:** ![Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Morrison\_s\_Lament](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Morrison_s_Lament)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 6:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/19 "2000-12-15T06:58:46Z")
I know Reykjavik, Iceland isn’t exactly Hollywood, but I know that people got stoned in at least one movie that was filmed there. Keep in mind that the drug laws in Cali (and much of USA) are RELAXED compared to Iceland! My best friend’s dad used to play small roles in a number of Icelandic movies a few years back. He wasn’t happy about admitting it, but after seeing the party-scene where smoking is going on, we just wouldn’t stop bugging him about whether or not it was real! Turns out there wasn’t much stuff around in those days, but the director knew someone who brought an ounce or so to the set for the party scene and almost everyone got high. So, it does happen. And from what I know about Hollywood filmstars and crews, it’s probably fairly common. An acquaintance of mine actually got addicted to Cocaine while working on the Close Encounters set! Also, I’ve seen pictures of Cypress Hill and other bands smoking it up on stage, so it doesn’t seem to be a problem for musicians, why should it be for actors? — G. Raven ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2000, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498/20 "2000-12-15T17:19:58Z")
oregano? Wouldn’t be caught putting that stuff in my lungs. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-they-use-to-stand-in-for-marijuana-in-movies/45498.md?page=2)