Is this real life? Is Snoop D O double G seriously turning a new leaf and laying down the ganja? Last Thursday, Snoop shared a black and white photo to his Instagram with the following statement: “After much consideration & conversation with my family, I’ve decided to give up smoke. Please respect my privacy at this time.”
Speculations are flying. Is he simply taking a tolerance break? Is he suffering from some health conditions that won’t allow him to smoke anymore? Is it a publicity stunt and we’ll see him launching a new line of edible or vape products in the near future? Regardless of the reason, one thing we can say for sure is that it’s making waves in the industry and cannabis stocks took a bit of hit after Snoop Dogg made his announcement… even though it turns out he didn’t even mean it that way at all.
Snoop Dogg and Cannabis
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr., known far and wide as Snoop Dogg, is a rapper, actor, and entrepreneur with deep ties to the weed world. While most people, especially us millennials, will always think of Snoop as a rapper, these days he’s known more for his many business ventures in the cannabis industry.
In April 2015, Snoop officially took the leap into the legal cannabis industry and became a minority investor in his first investment venture Eaze, a California-based cannabis delivery startup. In October 2015, he launched his own cannabis business, Merry Jane, a media site that focuses on industry-related news. “Merry Jane is cannabis 2.0”, he said in a promotional video for the media source. “A crossroads of pot culture, business, politics, health.”
In November 2015, he announced his new line of products – Leafs By Snoop, a line of different flower strains as well as concentrates and edibles that are sold at dispensaries across the country. “Leafs By Snoop is truly the first mainstream cannabis brand in the world and proud to be a pioneer”, he said. On March 30, 2016, he also launched Casa Verde Capital, a venture capital firm that invests in marijuana start-ups.
In 2019, Snoop Dogg announced that he had a full-time staffer to whose sole job is to roll his blunts, and they are paid somewhere in the ballpark of 50k annually. On March 7, 2022, Snoop Dogg joined FaZe Clan and as a member of their Board of Directors, although he resigned a year later. On October 3, 2022, he launched his own line of cannabis-infused Funyon-style chips called Snazzle-Os, available at select retail locations throughout California.
A few days ago, the same day he announced that he is “quitting smoke” coincidentally, Snoop Dogg and Martha Stewart (in collaboration with Bic) launched a limited-edition line of Best Buds Bags, a crossbody leather bag that comes complete with a Bic EZ reach lighter clasp; marketed as a perfect accessory for stoners. Also this month, on November 10th, Snoop signed a deal with vaporizer companies Hempacco and Inspire.
Snoop – A Marketing Genius
In addition to the post mentioned above, he posted a somewhat-solemn looking photo of himself with a caption that reads: “please respect my privacy”, and nothing more. People have had varying opinions and reactions to the news – ranging from sadness at what seems like the end of an era, support and admiration, worry that he may be struggling with his health, and for many, complete disbelief.
Many pointed to the fact that he said he was giving up “smoke”, not cannabis in general, which means he could still be using edible or vape products. Others mentioned that he actually has publicly quit weed once before, following some legal troubles in 2007. And quite a few people made reference to Willie Nelson, another famous stoner who announced a few years ago that he, too, quit smoking pot due to breathing issues, although he still uses other cannabis products.
Numerous media sources have reached out to his representatives for comments, but have yet to hear any replies. Snoop himself has been very coy about the whole thing, not saying anything more than “please respect my privacy” and refusing to reply to the many comments on his social media posts… until now.
As it turns out, “quitting smoke” had nothing to do with weed at. Apparently, Snoop partnered with a smokeless fire pit company – Solo Stove. So this whole thing was part of a rather ingenious marketing campaign to promote these safer new fire pits.
“I have an announcement,” Snoop Dogg said in a video shared on social media today, Monday, November 20. “I’m giving up smoke. I know what you’re thinking. ‘Snoop! Smoke is kind of your whole thing.’ But I’m done with it. I’m done with the coughing and my clothes smelling all sticky-icky. I’m going smokeless. Solo Stove fixed fire, they took out the smoke. Clever.”
Cannabis Stocks Take a Hit
Numerous cannabis stocks such as Global X Cannabis, Aurora Cannabis Inc., and Altria, opened lower the day following Snoop’s post about quitting smoke. As a matter of fact, some sources claim that up to 90 percent of industry stocks were down because of it. Granted, cannabis trading is a bit volatile anyway, but stocks have been pretty hot lately until this happened.
What’s interesting about this situation is the sheer reach that a single person can have. All it took was one, very vague social media post from a celebrity, with no additional information behind it, to cause all this uproar in the industry, to the point that stocks dropped and people were contemplating whether they should quit themselves. While everything should bounce back to normal now that we all know we can count on Snoop to keep smoking, it’s crazy to see how one simple post can change the course of an industry.
Final Thoughts
Snoop Dogg saying he’s “quitting smoke” might have had more of an impact than even he expected. From dropping cannabis stocks to throwing us longtime stoners into a brief existential crisis, it certainly was the post heard far and wide in the industry. Thankfully, we can rest assured that Snoop is still pro-pot, and knowing that this was all part of a marketing campaign for a smokeless fire pit, I can imagine he got quite a laugh at some of the comments on his social media accounts.
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