Snoop Dogg says he’s ‘giving up smoke’

Rapper said his decision came after ‘much consideration and conversation with my family’

Snoop Dogg has said he’s “giving up smoke” after years of marijuana use.

On Thursday (16 November), the 52-year-old rapper – known as much for his proclivity for the drug as his music – told fans that “after much consideration & conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke”.

“Please respect my privacy at this time,” Snoop, real name Calvin Broadus, wrote on X/Twitter.

It is currently unclear if the hip-hop artist’s promise is genuine or whether the statement is part of an elaborate marketing campaign for his cannabis company Leafs By Snoop.

“This is probably just gonna be some viral campaign where he launches his own line of vapes or edibles or something,” one person responded on X.

“Today isn’t April Fools day Snoop,” a second said. A third added that “Snoop without smoke is like earth without water”.

“Snoop about to become an edibles legend,” another wrote.

The Independent has contacted Snoop’s representative for comment.

The “Drop It Like It’s Hot” artist has been a weed advocate long before it was legalised across the US.

Snoop’s home state of California was the first state to legalise the drug for medical use. It later became legal for recreational use in the state in 2016 following the leads of Colorado and Washington, which did so in 2012.

His company Leafs By Snoop, which he founded in Denver, Colorado, in 2015, specialises in making its own cannabis strains, concentrates, flowers, and edibles.

Snoop has often smoked joints on stage during his live shows. He even made a cameo in Dave Chappelle’s 1998 hit comedy Half-Baked about a trio of stoners who decide to sell stolen weed from a pharmaceutical lab in order to post bail for their recently jailed friend.

The rapper rose to fame after featuring on fellow rapper Dr Dre’s 1992 album, The Chronic. The artwork on the CD version of the certified triple platinum album pictured a marijuana leaf.

In 1993, Snoop released his debut album Doggystyle, which quickly made him a household name in the rap scene.