Smoking pot is not as taboo as it used to be. Everyone has their vices, and no one should judge you for occasionally toking up.
The good news is that several states in America have started to legalize recreational use. However, does that mean you can smoke weed while streaming on Twitch without having your account suspended?
Twitch has a long history of being vague about what breaks its Terms of Service (ToS), and you might find conflicting opinions on this topic online.
To clear the smoke once and for all, we’ve combed Twitch’s Terms of Service (ToS) and community guidelines to find a definitive answer.
We’ve also compiled some real-world examples of how Twitch has handled drug use during a livestream to give you an idea of what you can expect. Let’s get into it.
Can You Smoke Weed on Twitch?
The short answer is it depends. The most public incident of Twitch not doing anything about marijuana use was during a Snoop Dogg livestream in 2018. Snoop being Snoop, he naturally decided to light one up during his broadcast.
This was the first recorded incident of Twitch staying quiet while a celebrity streamer featured marijuana use in a livestream.
Twitch hasn’t really made any explicit comments on smoking weed during a stream, but most streamers assume Snoop was “allowed” to do it because California had recently legalized recreational marijuana use.
Image: Cyber Athletiks
So to answer the original question: smoking weed while streaming on Twitch is OK if you live in a state or country where weed use is legal. If you’re doing it from a location where smoking pot is still considered illegal, then you are not only breaking Twitch’s ToS but you may face criminal charges if someone reports you to your local authorities.
There are plenty of stoner Twitch streamers that livestream daily, some even partnered, so as long as you’re following your local laws you’ll be good.
It’s important to note that Twitch’s leniency doesn’t extend to any other drug. For example, comedian Andy Dick was swiftly banned in 2018 for doing cocaine on stream. Twitch has a zero-tolerance policy for illegal drug use and will quickly drop the ban hammer on offending streamers regardless of their celebrity status.
Twitch TOS & Community Guidelines
Twitch’s ToS doesn’t say anything specific about marijuana or smoking, but it does have an entire section for “prohibited content.”
The relevant passage from Twitch’s Terms of Service is in section 9, xvii, which states that your account can get shut down if you “use the Twitch Services for any illegal purpose, or in violation of any local, state, national, or international law or regulation, including without limitation laws governing intellectual property and other proprietary rights, data protection, and privacy.”
Twitch Community Guidelines also don’t say anything specific about smoking weed, cigarettes, or vaping while streaming, but it does say the following about activities that break the law:
“You must respect all applicable local, national, and international laws while using our services. Any content or activity featuring, encouraging, offering, or soliciting illegal activity is prohibited.”
And also on self-destructive behavior:
“Any activity that may endanger your life or lead to your physical harm is prohibited. This includes, but is not limited to: suicide threats, intentional physical trauma, illegal use of drugs, illegal or dangerous consumption of alcohol, and dangerous or distracted riving. We do not make exceptions for self destructive behavior performed as a stunt or gag made in jest, or meant to entertain, when the behavior could reasonably be expected to cause physical injury.”
The terms and guidelines are pretty clear—don’t engage in illegal activity or self-destructive behavior while streaming, even if you’re only joking. It’s that simple.
Input from Reddit
Users in the Twitch subreddit generally agree that smoking pot while streaming should be fine as long as it is legal in your location. There are several posts about the issue that collectively agree that it shouldn’t be an issue (Exhibit A, B, and C).
In one post from 2016, a Redditor reportedly emailed Twitch about their policy on weed use while streaming, and they received the following response:
“We discourage broadcasters from the use of marijuana on our services. If doing so violates your local laws, causes you to inflict harm upon yourself, or is a focus of your broadcasts, this activity is entirely prohibited from broadcast. If broadcasters do engage in this activity, the Mature Content warning must be enabled.
Please refer to our “Rules of Conduct (Twitch’s Rules of Conduct)” regarding breaking the law, self destructive behavior, and non-gaming content for more information.”
Can You Smoke Cigarettes on Twitch?
Smoking cigarettes isn’t illegal unless you’re underage, so doing it while streaming is technically not against Twitch’s ToS. However, the platform discourages streamers from smoking cigarettes during a livestream.
If you really need to have a smoke, consider taking a break, or do it off-screen, or simply turn off your camera for a bit.
Can You Vape on Twitch?
Streamers can vape on Twitch. In fact, it’s much more common to see a streamer vaping than smoking cigarettes. Like cigarettes, vaping isn’t against Twitch’s ToS or guidelines, but the platform advises against it.
The likelihood of getting a ban or suspension for vaping is extremely low. If you don’t feel comfortable about taking that risk, then simply vape off-screen.
Smoking on Twitch Precautions
If you’re a habitual smoker, then it’s understandable that you’d want to smoke at some point during your stream, as most Twitch streamers broadcast for at least a few hours.
Take the following precautions for when the craving hits:
1. Maturity setting on Twitch channel
Set your channel’s maturity setting to 18+. To enable Mature Content, go to your Creator Dashboard, click “Settings” and then “Stream.” Click on the toggle next to Mature Content so it shows a tick and turns purple.
Enabling this setting lets your viewers know that your content is not appropriate for kids. While you have no control over who watches your stream, at least you won’t be accused of trying to influence teens and kids to take up smoking.
2. Be chill about it
This is the most important rule: be chill about it. Don’t draw attention to the fact that you’re smoking. Treat like you would eating a snack or taking a sip of a drink. If you’re discreet, most people won’t even notice or care that you’re smoking.
3. Do it off camera
Another option is to do it off-camera, but be careful not to slip up! Summit1G was known for regularly going off-camera to “stretch his legs a little bit.”
It became an inside joke in his community until one day in 2020 when he absentmindedly reached for his bong during a livestream before turning off his camera. That mistake reportedly cost him his Monster sponsorship deal.
The Bottom Line
Smoking weed on Twitch shouldn’t get you in trouble as long as it’s legal in your state or country. Try not to make a big deal about it and know your limits. Don’t overdo it and get so high that you pass out or do something that would be considered self-destructive behavior.
As long as you’re chill about it, you should be fine. Toke away!
