After building a career themed around heavy marijuana consumption, Snoop Dogg says he’s “decided to give up smoke.” On Thursday, the 52-year-old rap mogul surprised his fans when he seemingly said he’s officially ditching his rolling papers and lighter.
Snoop Dogg posted a sombre-looking black and white photo of himself to Instagram with a simple statement.
“After much consideration & conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke,” he wrote. “Please respect my privacy at this time.” The Gin and Juice rapper even signed the statement with his signature.
Understandably, the announcement came as a shock to anyone with even a slight awareness of Snoop Dogg, who has long branded himself as an unofficial 420 ambassador. Snoop Dogg, who for decades has been known to chain-smoke joints, even once claimed to have lit up inside the White House after hiding a pre-roll in his sock.
In the comments of his post, many of Snoop Dogg’s followers — including MMA fighter Conor McGregor — congratulated him on the decision to stop smoking. Others wondered if Snoop Dogg was joking or using the statement as a form of social media marketing for a potential upcoming project.
Hours after his statement, Snoop Dogg doubled down on his claim with another post. Alongside an equally sombre selfie, Snoop Dogg wrote a simple message: “Respect my privacy.”
Again, the post was met with equal parts encouragement and skepticism. Some of the rapper’s fans said their bucket-list dreams to smoke weed with Snoop Dogg have been dashed by the news.
Many others wondered what would happen to Snoop Dogg’s full-time blunt roller, who was reportedly paid between US$40,000 (nearly C$55,000) and $50,000 (about $C68,700) a year, on top of other perks like free trips and smoking with the rap legend himself.
Until this week, Snoop Dogg was ubiquitous with marijuana. Throughout his decades-long career, the rapper has released music, apparel, cookbooks and other merchandise themed around the plant. In 2015, he even launched his own lifestyle website, Merry Jane, where he sold Leafs by Snoop, an eight-strain line of marijuana flower handpicked by the connoisseur himself.
Just this week, Snoop Dogg even launched a limited-edition ‘Best Buds’ handbag with his TV co-host Martha Stewart. The crossbody bag includes a functional BIC lighter securely in the latch to prevent “unwanted borrowing.”
Frequent cannabis users can develop long-term negative health effects as a result of the drug, recent research has shown. According to the government of Canada, these effects can include worsened memory and concentration, a chronic cough and an increased risk of addiction.
