#1582 - Alex Berenson

Alex Berenson (0:16)

It's good to see you again.

Joe Rogan (0:18)

Under less hostile circumstances. I don't think the last one was hostile. I think maybe more people expected it to be hostile, because you were...

I want to say you were anti-cannabis. I do think that you had a realistic perspective on cannabis. And we've talked about this before outside, that I think a lot of people that are pro-cannabis, like myself, they don't want to look at the negative aspects of it, because they think it will harm the chances of it being legalized. And I think that's irresponsible, and I think it's not honest.

Alex Berenson (0:48)

I mean, I think that's true. And now that it does look, let's be honest, like it's going to be legal.

Certainly, every state, or there are major states that voted to legalize, like New Jersey and Arizona in the last election, and nationally it looks like it's going to be legal. It's time for people in the industry, I think, to start being more honest about who this product is for and some of the downsides. I hope they do that.

Joe Rogan (1:09)

They have to be. I think they have to be.

Alex Berenson (1:11)

I brought you the paperback of Tell Your Children.

Joe Rogan (1:14)

Yes, excellent. Well, you really should tell your children. And again, this is coming from someone who enjoys pot. I like it. I'm a fan.

But I do know it's not for everybody, and I do know people that have gone crazy.

Legitimately gone schizophrenic from marijuana, or maybe had a tendency towards schizophrenia and then smoked a lot of pot or ate a lot of pot and then the switch went off and they were gone. And I think there's a direct correlation.

Alex Berenson (1:40)

Yes.

Joe Rogan (1:41)

So I was glad to have that conversation with you, even though a lot of people are like, what, you're supporting him?

How are you on his side? I'm like, because it's true.

Alex Berenson (1:48)

Just wait till you get the blowback you get for today, man.

Joe Rogan (1:51)

Well, let's establish your position, Alex, on COVID. What is your position on this?

Alex Berenson (1:57)

Sure. So people accuse me of being a COVID denialist, or I don't think it's real, I don't think anyone dies from it. That's all nonsense, Joe. COVID is real.

It emerged from, we can talk about where it might have emerged from earlier this year, maybe in late 2019 It's killed a lot of people.

It's contagious, and it's been a problem this year. It's been a significant problem.

Joe Rogan (2:22)

Yeah.

Alex Berenson (2:22)

It is not worthy of the response that we have had to it. I believe lockdowns have been a mistake, and we can go into all of it, but we have overreacted in an extremely dangerous way this year.

Joe Rogan (2:34)

I believe we've overreacted as well, and I think that, in particular, one of the things that disturbs me the most is that there has been no accounting for the damage that has been done by forcing people to shut down their businesses, and the only thought has been making sure that the ICU beds are open and that somehow or another people are able to get treatment for this. I've openly criticized the fact that there has been no discussion whatsoever about getting healthy.

No one is encouraging you because they are worried about being called a fat-shamer or some other nonsensical term.

Alex Berenson (3:15)

I think it's much worse than that because if you remember, back in March, we were told 15 days to slow the spread. Let's not have the hospitals be overrun.

And at some point, maybe it was in April, maybe it was in May, somehow this became no one can ever get sick and die from COVID. It is wrong that this disease exists and we have to do everything to stop it, no matter what the consequences. And you mentioned businesses. Businesses are important. But to me, what's even more important is what we're doing to our kids. What we've done with school closures, what we've done with normalizing the idea that being outside with your friends is dangerous. We are screwing over our kids in the worst possible way.

Joe Rogan (3:55)

I think we had an idea of what COVID was going to be. I know I certainly did for the first few weeks. I was like, this is going to kill everybody. I thought I was going to kill 10% of the population. I was really worried about it. I remember being in the supermarket stocking up and thinking, Jesus Christ, like this feels so crazy. But I also remember thinking it was going to last two weeks.