Snoop Dogg will always be known for his iconic tracks like “Gin and Juice” and “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” but the rapper is also regularly associated with his cannabis advocacy and consistent use of the plant. Though, it looks like Snoop might be shifting gears a bit, as he strolled the red carpet at the MTV Movie & TV Awards on June 5 without a joint in hand.
Snoop spoke with ET’s Lauren Zima on the red carpet ahead of Sunday’s show, who asked whether or not he planned to light up this year, as he famously did during the 2021 show.
“No, I ain’t smoking tonight,” Snoop replied. “I’m trying to abide by the law.”
Just a few months ago, photographers caught Snoop lighting up a joint before his performance at Super Bowl LVI.
The MTV Movie & TV Awards are hosted in California, where adult-use cannabis is legal, though smoking in public and at private venues can still leave individuals at risk for fines.
Ahead of the ceremony, Snoop told ET, “I’ve changed my ways. I’ve become better.”
While he’s always been a cannabis advocate, Snoop’s consumption habits have historically made headlines. The rapper has stated publicly that he smokes up to 81 blunts a day, or nearly blunt every 12 minutes during waking hours. He also famously has his own full-time, professional blunt roller, who also recently got a raise because of inflation, Snoop said on Twitter.
“Inflation. Their salary went up!!” Snoop tweeted in response to an UberFacts post reading, “Snoop Dogg employs a full-time blunt roller who makes between $40,000 and $50,000 a year.”
While Snoop voiced that he was taking it easy before the MTV Movie & TV Awards, that’s not to say that the rapper is necessarily slowing down, or that his blunt roller’s employment is in jeopardy. Though, the comment had the internet speculating whether Snoop was among other celebrity stoners taking a temporary break from cannabis, like Woody Harrelson and Willie Nelson.
Harrelson was actually reintroduced to cannabis through Nelson, saying he had quit for nearly two years. After he won a poker hand against Nelson, Harrelson soon found a Willie’s Reserve vape pen in his hand and caved.
“I take a big draw of it and he says, ‘Welcome home, son,’” Harrelson recalled during a 2018 interview with Ellen DeGeneres.
Nelson, the “only person who’s ever out-smoked Snoop Dogg,” has slowed down when it comes to inhalable cannabis. During a sold-out 2019 show at the Majestic Theatre in Texas, Nelson told fans that after abusing his lungs “quite a bit” in the past, he has to be more careful.
He told ET Canada in 2021 that he’s switched over to a vape because it’s better on his lungs, and his son, Lukas, has also clarified that his father still enjoys edibles and other forms of consumption, too.
“Between vaping, edibles, gummies, drops, etc. I think it’s safe to say Willie will never stop enjoying Mary Jane!” Lukas tweeted.
Snoop acted as the DJ of the star-studded award show, and cannabis wasn’t the sole focus of his red carpet chats. He took some time talking with ET to show some love to Jennifer Lopez, who received the Generation Award.
“You gotta think about the depth and the range. Where she started and where she is, and how she continues to keep going on and empowering women in the Latin community, and women in general,” he shared. “Like, I think about some of the most powerful roles that she played… I think about how impactful [they are].”
Snoop added, “And how she manages to keep lookin’ good every year. I mean, she’s amazing. That’s my homegirl. Keep doing your thing… You deserve it.”
While Snoop might be shifting his consumption habits, it’s hard to deny the rapper’s impact on cannabis and cultural attitudes around the plant throughout the years. His sentiment to JLo can easily be parroted right back: “Keep doing your thing… You deserve it.”
