We were recently approached by Jonathan Hiltz from marijuana.com to answer a few questions regarding how the use of weed might be affected by a zombie apocalypse. With many US states and Canada on the verge of legalizing the use of cannabis, it got us thinking how this was a very timely topic.

So to help us answer some of these pressing issues, we contacted Doc from the hit TV show Z Nation (played by Russell Hodgkinson), an expert and perveyor of Z-Weed, a potent strain of weed made all the more potent through the use of zombies as compost. Here’s our chat with him!

1. Please explain what it is about Z-Weed that makes it so potent.

2. In case of a zombie attack or perhaps a zombie pandemic, are there any suggestions or techniques that you can suggest to hide your stash of weed.

[Doc]: With regards to “hiding your stash”, I would be more concerned with maintaining freshness. Therefore, I would suggest storing in hermetically sealed containers…or a Ziplock. [ZRS]: Hiding your stash is an imperative. Unless you have a very safe haven, your supply of weed could be finite. Cultivating crops of cannabis is very difficult to accomplish while constantly on the run from both wandering dead and living. As we’ve seen in modern takes on the zombie apocalypse, it’s the living humans that are most dangerous. So hiding your stash can not be so elaborate that you can’t make a quick getaway without it, but it can’t be left out in the open either. In your bug-out-bag makes the most sense, but it will also be the first place living humans might look.

3. Would zombies even have any interest in marijuana? Would it even do anything for them?

[Doc]: Zombies crave brains. Period. However, when exposed to Z-Weed they have been known to demonstrate brief moments of lucidity. [ZRS]: It’s highly unlikely zombies would have an interest in marijuana, but it all depends on the cause of the apocalypse. We believe the brains of the undead would be severely damaged due to viruses, radiation, or some other cause. Their pleasure centers would most likely be preoccupied with the need for human flesh and brains. That being said, the zombified brain of a long-time consumer of weed might have his/her brain wired so completely to this pleasure, that the need for another hit might overcome the need for flesh. Hey, maybe that’s the way to prepare for the inevitable apocalypse!

4. In case of a zombie pandemic would marijuana work as good currency?

[Doc]: Absolutely, it could be traded for any number of post apocalyptic necessities like weapons, food, ammo….quaaludes. It would also join the ranks of other coveted commodities throughout history, such as salt and tulips. That’s right tulips….look it up. [ZRS]: I think it would become extremely valuable! And it would definitely grow in value, as the apocalypse progresses, because of supply and demand. It is a commodity that can be grown here in North America– with no specialized equipment, unlike most other drugs in circulation today. And anything to escape the horror of the apocalypse would be welcomed, if even just for a short time.

5. How would you recommend somebody grow a small or large crop of marijuana if zombies were a factor in your area? Would it need to be hidden?

[Doc]: Let’s be clear, Z-Weed differs from marijuana, as it requires the use of zombies for compost; that is the distinction. Therefore having access to zombies (preferably smart ones) would certainly be an asset. [ZRS]: Secrecy is key. There would not be much danger from the undead if the crop can be cordoned off. The danger, as I mentioned, is from the living. Smaller crops can be grown in greenhouses or hydroponics. The larger crops would require fencing, and possibly security details. There is also the issue of water, key to the growth of the plants. Access to a sustainable water supply is critical, and may be the biggest hurdle to growing a large crop.

6. Here’s a radical idea: Do you think that if people smoked weed now, and became zombies later, would they just want more weed, and not brains? Could this be a preemptive action against an all-out zombie apocalypse?

Russell Hodgkinson is currently in his third season playing Doc on the SyFy series ‘Z Nation’. He has been a theater actor for over 35 years and became interested in film work while living in New Orleans after being cast in Tim Burton’s ‘Big Fish’. He also appeared with Norman Reedus in the film ‘Tough Luck’ before moving to Seattle in 2003. Other films include ’21 & Over’, ‘Fat Kid Rules the World’, The Abduction of Eden’ and Zombies Of Mass Destruction, as well as TV appearances on ‘Grimm’ and ‘Leverage’. Russell is set to film the sequel to ‘Star Leaf’, last years Sci-Fi thriller about an extraterrestrial strain of marijuana that brings awareness to the medicinal benefits for soldiers with PTSD. Russell was a paratrooper in the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division from 1977-1983.

[Doc]: What a fantastic hypothesis! Only time will tell.