Jordan Peele Credits Cannabis as an Inspiration for Get Out

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]T[/dropcap]hose who were diligently watching the Oscars may have noticed that Jordan Peele credited cannabis as one of the inspirations behind writing the hugely-successful horror film Get Out.

In his acceptance speech after winning an Academy Award for Best Screenplay for the racially-charged horror film, Peele opened up about his consumption of cannabis and the political implications behind the plant.

“I sat down, and I would smoke a little bit of weed while I try to write a mind-bending horror film,” he said. “At some point, I just followed the truth and realized there are people that are locked up for smoking less weed than I smoked while I wrote the movie.”

This is no surprise, as Peele has often been outspoken about his love of cannabis, dating back to the days of his former TV show, Key & Peele. Among the show’s many sketches, the comedic pair who starred in the show performed one episode where Keegan Michael Key misinterprets a text sober and flips out, while Peele is toking on a bong and remains calm.

While there has always been an element of comedy to Peele’s comments about cannabis, it’s clear that he actually smokes and respects the plant, and it’s also clear that he has picked up on the controversies behind it. It’s no secret that in many bigger cities, like Chicago and Buffalo, New York, people of color are still largely the ones targeted for possessing cannabis, while in many legal states, cannabis businesses are predominantly white-owned.

Leave it to Peele to make a joke that simultaneously calls attention to serious issues like cannabis legalization and race disparity. This is hopefully the first of many wins for the screenwriter, and he will no doubt keep using cannabis to fuel his creativity.