Why was Snoop Dogg banned from Norway?
What is there to say about Snoop Dogg and his relationship with weed that hasn’t been said before? From the moment he exploded onto the hip-hop scene in the early 90s, Snoop’s image has been utterly entwined with cannabis. If anything, he has single-handedly changed marijuana culture with his rap career and international celebrity persona, pushing weed smoking – and associated paraphernalia – into the mainstream.
So yeah. Snoop loves weed. So much so he got banned from Norway for it.
Ok, that is a very simplified order of events, but not necessarily untrue. In 2012, the 16 time Grammy Award nominated rapper was arrested at Kjevik airport in Kristiansand for possession of marijuana, and was subsequently banned from entering the country until the summer of 2014.
Snoop arrived in Kristiansand for a concert at Hovefestivalen, a Norwegian festival held on the island of Tromøya outside of Arendal in southern Norway. He had on him eight grams of marijuana and an excess of cash, and was fined 52,000kr (£5,500).
Despite the sniffer-dog bust, the 40-year-old was granted permission to go on and perform at the music festival. And, of course, Snoop Dogg being Snoop Dogg, he had something to say on the matter. Tweeting updates about his trip to the northern European country, he wrote statements on Twitter such as: “Smoking crip n. cuzns,”, and “Hahahahagahhaha.”
Unfortunately for Snoop, the Norwegian government were not feeling particularly Hahaha about the incident. According to the Associated Press, Snoop had been barred from returning to the country for the next two years. And if you’re wondering if one of the wealthiest and famous musicians on the planet was going to counter that decision, think again.
“[Snoop] can live with the decision,” his lawyer said, announcing that his client will not be filing an appeal.
This is, naturally, not the first time Snoop has gotten in trouble with the law over his love for kush. In Los Angeles in 1998, he was arrested and fined for misdemeanour marijuana possession in Los Angeles early in his career; and in 2006, Snoop was arrested at Bob Hope Airport in Burbank on suspicion including transporting marijuana alongside other charges; he later took a no-contest plea that included probation and community service.
He has also been detained in Sweden in 2015 on suspicion of illegal drug use, though charges were dropped, and Snoop was detained and cited for marijuana possession when border patrol found cannabis on his tour bus in Sierra Blanca, Texas; he was released with a citation.
Snoop has been vocal about his support for legalising cannabis over the years of his career. He has also turned his love for smoking into legit businesses, from co-founding Leafs by Snoop, one of the first celebrity weed brands, and invests in cannabis startups through Casa Verde Capital.
And in a 2021 interview with The Hollywood Reporter, the rapper said “You’ve got alcohol that’s federally regulated. There’s a lot of negative that comes with alcohol, whether it’s huge fights [or] car accidents. But when you think about cannabis, you don’t really get that — it’s more of a healer. If cannabis were treated like alcohol we’d be in a better world.”