SAN DIEGO — Hip-Hop legend Snoop Dogg has decided to "give up smoke," per an Instagram post Thursday. It's left fans — and the internet — shocked.
Snoop didn’t elaborate on exactly what he means by “give up smoke." CBS 8 sat down with nationally-recognized cannabis lifestyle reporter Jackie Bryant who is based in San Diego, to see if she might know what Snoop is thinking.
“It was an interesting post for a few reasons," she said. "There's a lot of thinly-veiled cannabis culture language in there."
Bryant is a Managing Editor of San Diego Magazine. She explains in a piece Friday what this transition could mean for cannabis smokers.
While he did announce he was quitting "smoke," Bryant flagged the recent vaporizer deal the Hip-Hop legend made earlier in the week.
“Why would someone who is literally synonymous with and got famous for smoking blunts, why would he sign a deal with a vape company," she questioned. "This announcement is probably marketing and very shrewd but yeah, it is a big deal that he’s quitting the very thing he loves and got famous for and going to vaporizing.”
Bryant said vaping is safer than smoking. She points to issues with mouth, lung, and esophageal health with vaping, but says it is safer than lighting up.
“I’m sure it's a great business opportunity, he’s got many of them," she said. "But I gotta think he's also in some way, he's doing it for his health.”
Bryant said she — and possibly many other pot smokers — started thinking about their own cannabis consumption habits with the recent announcement.
“It behooves everybody to think about how we use this," she said. "How does it make me feel? Does it actually make me feel good or am I masking something."
"I feel like Snoop has probably asked these questions himself. There can be too much of a good thing, and to be a conscious person using intoxicating substances, we constantly have to interrogate things for ourselves and that's the way we use things responsibly and healthy."
She said she smokes a lot of weed — but it works for her.
"I don’t think it’s a problem," she said. "But I’m constantly thinking about it.”
Bryant believes him asking for privacy is a little tongue and cheek there. She said Snoop is probably saying it’s a big decision for him and to leave him alone. He doesn’t really want to talk about it.
Bryant says something that’s cool about subcultures like the cannabis world is its consistent evolution.
“He's clearly still there," she said." He's just doing it in a different way and I think that's a really cool model for evolving your use over time for your health and well being.”
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