Did Snoop Dogg Really Just Announce He's Quitting Smoking Weed?

Did Snoop Dogg Really Just Announce He's Quitting Smoking Weed?

Last week, the icon and rap singer announced he was quitting weed smoking, but it's not what you might think.

A post by Snoop Dogg, 52, the "Stoner of the Century," announcing that he was "quitting smoking," virtually broke the internet on Thursday. But was this his announcement to give up marijuana, or was it just a hugely successful stunt?

Snoop started experimenting with weed in the 70s before going on to smoke copious amounts of bud for a full 30 years. 

He smoked so much that he had a full-time staffer to roll blunts for him. 

Snoop's name became synonymous with marijuana, and he has several collaborations with weed companies and related brands. 

Most received his latest news warmly and wished him well on his future journey. 

"After much consideration & conversation with my family, I've decided to give up smoke," 

Snoop posted on Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and other social media channels, "Please respect my privacy at this time."

"I'm giving up smoke," he added in the caption.

As marijuana users grapple with this new existential crisis surrounding the number one pot user, the feedback online was mostly positive. 

Grammy Award-winning rapper Queen Latifah commented on his Instagram post, simply writing, "We love you."

T-Pain, who recently released the music video for his song "That's How We Ballin" with SnoopDogg, posted a disclaimer on X(formerly Twitter): "This video was shot before @SnoopDogg quit smoking." Snoopy is seen smoking marijuana in the video, which may have been filmed months ago.

T-Pain wrote, "Stay strong Unc #support."

However, some Instagram users were confused and thought this was simply an excellent idea for some viral advert. 

"Define... Smoke, "actor Lamorne Morris wrote in response to the post, while user @ambie02 asked," Is it April Fool's Day today?"

Those who refrained from jumping on the social media bandwagon were rewarded a few days later when Snoop's most recent collaboration was announced. Snoop was actually giving up smoke stoves, and he’s behind a new smokeless fire pit. 

Well done, Snoop. In a click-starved media industry, almost everyone fell for it. While marketing stunts are nothing new, this particular breed of social media announcements has become more common. 

The beginning of Snoop Dogg's Stoner Persona

"I've been smoking for decades, the first time I smoked was when I was eight or nine years old," Snoopy has previously explained.

"I first got high from marijuana in the '70s, with an uncle of mine," Snoop told Esquire in 2008. "They had some little roaches on the table - half-smoked marijuana cigarettes - and some Schlitz Malt Liquor. I went in and took a sip of Schlitz, and my uncle asked me if I wanted to hit the roach. I said, "Yeah." He helped me put it on a roach clip and lit it up, so I hit that motherfucker. I was about eight or nine years old."

Snoop's introduction to blunts is now part of entertainment lore - just as the Beatles were introduced to joints by Bob Dylan. According to The Citizen, Snoop has been a blunt smoker for about 30 years. Snoop said he smoked his first blunt with the one and only Tupac Shakur.

"I smoked my first blunt with Tupac" Snoop told Howard Stern on The Howard Stern Show in 2018. "I've never smoked a blunt before. I was smoking joints...I said, ‘Hmm, this sh*t tastes magical!’

"[Smoking pot] is a bridge, Howard..." Snoop said on the show. “I’ve met so many people and established so many relationships over a joint.”

Snoop's many pursuits in cannabis include the launch of Leafs by Snoop in November 2015, one of the first celebrity cannabis brands to launch before everyone else jumped on the bandwagon.

Some of these cannabis investments include edible marijuana. Snoop Dogg is teaming up with TSUMo Snacks to launch Snazzle Os, a cannabis-infused, onion-flavored O-shaped potato chip that debuted at the Hall of Flowers and MedMen in California in early October 2022.

Snoop Dogg announced in December 2022 that legendary West Coast hip-hop platform Death Row Records would be entering the cannabis game with Death Row Cannabis. 

Recently, Snoop, along with Martha Stewart, released their Best Buds Bags, an upscale bag that has a slot for a lighter.

Several other cannabis icons have had similar shifts, taking into account personal relationships with family members. Woody Harrelson said he quit marijuana several years ago but came back a few years later, thanks to a reintroduction by Willie Nelson. Last March, Kevin Smith said he, too, was quitting smoking. Smith was also a heavy smoker.