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From Cheech & Chong to Snoop Dogg: How Cannabis Shaped Pop Culture Over The Decades
- Summer Roberts
- Mar 6
- 2 min read
Their film Up in Smoke (1978) was just a hilarious ride; it was also a cultural moment in which stoners became heroes of the story and not the punchline. They took weed from the sides and put it in the face, creating a template for the stoner buddy comedy that dominates the screens to this day.
If it wasn’t for Cheech & Chong's haze-filled antics, there would be no Pineapple Express or Harold & Kumar. Their influence made it cool to laugh with, not at, stoners.
The High Notes in Music
Jump ahead to the ‘90s, and cannabis was inseparable from hip-hop culture thanks in no small part to icons like Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre, and Cypress Hill. “The Next Episode” and “Hits from the Bong” made weed into a lifestyle anthem.
Snoop, in particular, took the art of smoking to a near-religious level. His laid-back, weed-loving persona became as iconic as his music and made the path for future cannabis-friendly artists like Wiz Khalifa and Rihanna.
Even genres outside of hip hop, like reggae (Bob Marley, of course) to rock (shout out to Willie Nelson) have embraced the green.
Hollywood Gets a Contact High
In Hollywood, weed went mainstream by the early 2000s. From films like Superbad and Knocked Up, Judd Apatow and Seth Rogen gave us a new wave of stoner heroes.
For characters who smoked, they weren’t just goofy sidekicks; they were instead lovable, relatable leads. Cannabis also began popping up in TV series like Weeds, which portrayed suburban pot-dealing before legalization became the norm.
Recent shows like Disjointed and High Maintenance have found that weed isn’t just a gimmick — it’s a lens through which we can examine, among other things, family drama and millennial existentialism.
Celebrities are cashing in as cannabis becomes a billion-dollar industry. These ventures have taken cannabis from counterculture to corporate chic, proving that what was once taboo is now as normalized as sipping a glass of wine. Rohan Marley’s “Lion Order,” Snoop Dogg’s "Leafs by Snoop," and Seth Rogen’s "Houseplant," aren’t just brands; they’re cultural statements.
Weed isn’t just a part of pop culture. It’s becoming pop culture. Cannabis is not only influencing our lives, laughter, and relationships but also our festivals, art, memes, and TikTok trends. Whether it’s a throwback to Cheech & Chong or a Snoop Dogg track that gets you vibing, cannabis has become a cultural institution.
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