Snoop Dogg said he quit smoking, but it was a ruse. Here's why some experts aren't laughing.

When marijuana and addiction experts heard Snoop Dogg decided to “give up smoke” — a statement that most people assumed referred to smoking weed — they were enthusiastic. His decision, they thought, could inspire people who struggle with cannabis use disorder and give chronic smokers the celebrity stamp of approval to feel comfortable to start changing their behaviors.

Because if Snoop could do it, “the Michael Jordan of zaza,” as some put it, they could too. 

But instead, the rapper has since revealed that the announcement was a humorous marketing ploy to promote a smokeless fire pit brand: a move that experts feel perhaps unintentionally makes light of the challenges associated with quitting marijuana smoking. Experts also say that this advertising tactic would have had the same mixed reception if it involved any other substance, such as alcohol. Snoop's Instagram post has since been deleted.

“Snoop doesn’t have any obligation or responsibility to society to quit smoking, publicly or privately. But using … quitting as a marketing ploy, particularly for personal gain, can come across as disrespectful of the struggle that so many people go through who are addicted to THC,” said Aaron Weiner, an addiction psychologist. “It would be fantastic if someone with his reach could actually push science and health.”

Kevin Sabet, president of Smart Approaches to Marijuana, a bipartisan organization made up of health experts, lawmakers and others that oppose marijuana legalization and commercialization, said the "hoax" was disappointing. "I received dozens of comments and thoughts from young people either in recovery [from cannabis use disorder], or contemplating recovery, who were inspired by his words."

Snoop Dogg has never stated he has an addiction to marijuana, but Weiner said that Snoop "seeming to trivialize the serious nature of addiction may ultimately hurt others who are actively struggling and see the messaging as confirmation that cannabis addiction is not a significant problem." Before learning of Snoop’s ruse, Weiner thought it was brave of the rapper to publicly draw attention to his decision to quit, given the lack of public conversation and awareness around the health risks of THC, the psychoactive ingredient responsible for weed's “high” effect.

“Hopefully the fact that this was just a PR stunt doesn't hurt anyone that his original statement would have helped,” Weiner said. 

Frequent cannabis use can lead to marijuana use disorder, which occurs when people develop a dependence on the drug and experience withdrawal symptoms such as irritability, sleep difficulties and cravings when they stop using it, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. Data suggest that 3 in 10 people who use marijuana have the disorder.

Research on marijuana’s overall impact on health is contradictory, meaning some research finds associations (not causation) between use of the drug and cardiovascular disease or respiratory infections, for example, while othersdon't. Still, researchers suspect that consequences felt today could be worse than in the past few decades because marijuana potency has increased. The average THC content in confiscated marijuana samples in the early '90s was less than 4%; today, it can surpass 15%.

Experts recognize marijuana's medicinal properties. Just last year, President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan Medical Marijuana and Cannabidiol Research Expansion Act into law, which makes it easier to access marijuana-derived chemicals like THC and cannabidiol (CBD) for research.

The FDA has approved several THC-based medications, including nabilone (sold as Cesamet) and dronabinol (sold under the brand name Marinol) in pill form to treat nausea in patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy and weight loss in patients with AIDS. Several other marijuana-based medications are undergoing clinical trials.

Dr. Bonni Goldstein, the medical director of Canna-Centers, a California-based practice that educates patients about the use of cannabis for serious and chronic medical conditions, said that some of the negative health effects from cannabis, such as a bronchitis-type cough, resolve when users stop smoking.

Dr. Ryan Sultan, assistant professor of clinical psychiatry at Columbia University and director of Integrative Psych, where he specializes in substance use disorder treatment, said that neither characterization of cannabis as a “primary target of the Drug Wars" nor as a "benign panacea” are accurate.

More on smoking cannabis:Toxic air pollutants from smoking cannabis with a bong are 4 times worse than cigarettes, study finds

What’s clear, however, is that marijuana use is increasing, as well as perception of the drug as low-risk. A National Institute of Health study published last year found that cannabis use in adults ages 19 to 30 reached the highest levels ever recorded since 1988, when researchers began to monitor these trends. A 2022 Pew Research poll conducted in October found that 59% of U.S. adults say that marijuana should be legal for medical and recreational use by adults; 10% say marijuana use should not be legal.

As marijuana legalization expands across the U.S., including Ohio, Arizona, Delaware, Missouri and Maryland, the drug is becoming more accessible, which can make it more difficult to quit for those with cannabis use disorder, Weiner said. "Unlike with alcohol, we don't have any FDA-approved medications to help," he added. But help is available via accredited treatment programs, therapists and support groups

Amid the many comments describing Snoop’s scheme as a genius advertisement, some people mentioned that they too were planning on quitting smoking marijuana and that they were excited to witness his potential switch to edibles, which generally pose fewer risks to respiratory health compared to smoking, but can introduce greater risks of THC poisoning. 

'Snoop's words carry weight'

Snoop’s announcement appeared to have inspired rapper Meek Mill to quit smoking as well. “Snoop start the no smoking challenge we gone follow up! It’s not healthy for me,” Mill wrote on X yesterday. “...my doctor said I got a lil bit emphysema in a chest if I don’t stop smoking it cuts my lifeline in half, I was addicted to the nicotine and this new weed got too many chemicals and too risky to play with my mental!,” Mill wrote in a separate post. 

Several celebrities, including Queen Latifah, Jhené Aiko and Maya Rudolph also showed their support for him in the comments of his campaign. "You got this, Unc!!" Aiko wrote. Venezuelan singer and rapper Micro TDH chimed in, "Not smoking, it’s the new smoking."

Wilfred Ngwa, an associate professor of radiation oncology at Johns Hopkins who conducts research on medical cannabis for cancer treatment and pain management, initially thought that Snoop’s announcement to “quit smoke” was “huge news, especially for someone who has often celebrated and promoted cannabis culture in his music, interviews and social media.” Ngwa thought it would be a “major moment to educate the public on the potential pearls and perils of smoking cannabis.”

Snoop’s disclosure that he was kidding, however, is “very disappointing…yet not surprising,” Ngwa said. “Some may indeed see this as a clever and creative way to promote his business and products, and to show his sense of humor and personality. As a health researcher working in the area of medical cannabis, I think that this will appear irresponsible, selfish and dishonest to many. It could send a wrong message to the public, including the youth, who might look up to him as a role model.”

People who use marijuana before the age of 18 are estimated to be four to seven times more likely to develop marijuana use disorder compared to those who begin as adults. 

Research published this year in the journal JAMA Open Network also found that about 1 in 40 teens in the U.S. (more than 600,000) met the criteria for cannabis addiction, and that teens who used cannabis recreationally are two to four times more likely to develop psychiatric disorders, such as depression and suicidality, compared to those who don’t use the drug at all. Overall, several studies have found that teen marijuana use can lead to problems with learning, memory, problem-solving, attention and coordination, the CDC says.

Martine Helou-Allen, executive director of RIZE Prevention, a nonprofit that offers programs to address drug use and addiction among teens and their families, said she frequently engages with middle and high schoolers who refer to celebrities’ smoking habits to excuse their own. 

“Teens have a celebrified view of life, meaning that they base a lot of their decision making upon what celebrities deem to be acceptable and beneficial," Helou-Allen said. “For Snoop to come back and say he’s just joking further solidifies the opinions of young people when it comes to believing that smoking marijuana is harmless and that it's ridiculous for anybody to say there's something wrong with it.”

“Celebrities need to understand that there is a population of teens that follows their every move and listen to every word they say,” Helou-Allen. “Snoop’s words carry weight.”