Maybe it's just something in the air -- on the heels of Washington and Colorado voters moving to legalize marijuana in November -- but it's hard not to notice a correlation between the wave of pro-pot political action and the number of celebrities who are very open about their use of the drug.

Tommaso Boddi / Getty Images file

Rapper Snoop Dogg -- now Snoop Lion -- performs at The Wiltern in Los Angeles in 2011.

R&B singer Frank Ocean, who is up for six Grammy Awards next month, tweeted on Thursday, "hi guys, i smoke pot. ok guys, bye." It was his way of reacting after news got out that he was cited for pot possession during a traffic stop on New Year's eve.

As CBS' late-night host Jimmy Kimmel prepares to move to the 11:35 time slot and take on Jay Leno, he's featured on the cover of the new Rolling Stone. He opens the interview by asking, "If we smoke weed right now, is that on the record?" The answer, obviously, was yes, as the piece notes that the comic left to retrieve his "stash" and "returns with a vacuum-sealed baggie bulging with buds the size of baby Brussels sprouts."

Rolling Stone certainly has never shied from reporting on the intersection between drugs and pop culture. The magazine recently listed seven states it views as next in line in what it calls the crumbling of the "Berlin Wall of pot prohibition."

Snoop (Dogg) Lion has long wielded a sledgehammer and taken his whacks at that perceived wall. You'd have to be really really high to be surprised by the rapper preaching positively about pot. He told GQ magazine for its January issue: "It's from the earth -- it's not some man-made s---. It's actually growing from the ground straight to you, so it's just like eating a vegetable."

But it was Snoop's boast that he "would love to show" his kids the "right way" to smoke weed that raised eyebrows and generated headlines around the web.

And finally, from a man who could teach all these upstarts a thing or two about pot talk. In November, country legend Willie Nelson, while promoting his book "Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die" on TODAY, told Matt Lauer and a national TV audience, "we don't have to fly to Amsterdam any more" to smoke, and that he has seen no side effects from his use of the drug.

So, it's worth asking, as the political and legal stance on marijuana begins to shift in the US, does it still surprise you when celebrities are open about their use of the drug? Does it alter your opinion of them one way or the other? Share your thoughts on Facebook.

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Dave Martin / AP

Willie Nelson in 2004.

Willie Nelson's publicist tells E! News the country legend is doing "fine" after suffering breathing problems on Saturday that prompted him to cancel a Saturday performance just outside of Denver, Colo.

"Willie's fine. His shows are gonna continue," said his rep, Elaine Shock. "This was the only one that was canceled. He's actually on the road to the next gig." 

Willie Nelson's mellow weed deal goes up in smoke

Nelson, 79, was supposed to play a benefit concert at Castle Pines Village, about 21 miles north of Denver, that would have raised money for the Dumb Friends League, an animal sheltering organization (the event was dubbed Lulu's Barkin' BBQ). But an organizer told the Denver Post that Willie "woke up and had trouble breathing, so he was taken to the hospital."

Nelson's rep couldn't confirm if he was actually hospitalized, but she noted the "Always on My Mind" singer has already made a speedy recovery and is scheduled to perform next at the House of Blues in Dallas Texas on Aug. 21.

"He's not going anywhere," she added. "It really was high altitude-related."

Check out Willie's collaboration with Snoop Dogg

This isn't the first time Nelson's lungs have failed him.

While on a family vacation in Hawaii in 1981, the country star and marijuana legalization activist suffered a collapsed lung while swimming that sent him to the hospital. The incident forced him to scrap 18 concerts while he recuperated.  

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Does country legend Willie Nelson make a better Coldplay than Coldplay?

 If the reaction to Coldplay’s Sunday night Grammy performance is any indication, that might be true. It appears an ad for Chipotle immediately following the pop crooners' stint on the show outdid them at their own game.

The commercial features a charming rendition of Coldplay’s “The Scientist,” covered by Willie Nelson. It aired after what many critics called a rather humdrum showing by the quartet, who performed "Paradise" and "Princess of China" during the awards ceremony.

The ad, on the other hand, featuring a farmer deciding to raise his animals in a more sustainable, free-range way, was quirky and fun.

Instantly, Twitter’s harshest critics fell in love, with some calling the commercial the best performance of the night, others observing how it only reaffirmed anti-Coldplay sentiment in their minds.

 “My biggest takeaway from the Chipotle commercial is that I really dislike the lead singer of Coldplay,” tweeted @chimpotle, while Allyn White commented, “Coldplay bested by Chipotle commercial with a Willie Nelson cover of their song.”

Even fellow musicians took note. Alt-rock duo Tegan and Sara remarked, “In a strange twist, Chipotle commercial that followed w/ Willie singing a Coldplay song captivated me more?”

Though the jingle was previously released online last August, its primetime debut after the band’s performance was cleverly timed on the part of some programmer with a sense of humor, particularly given the fact viewers were encouraged to download it on iTunes as a contribution to Chipotle’s sustainable farming practices.  

Of course, not everyone agreed.

 “Willie Nelson is completely butchering Coldplay's the scientist in this Chipotle commercial,” tweeted Emily Trauth.

 What did you think of Willie Nelson covering Coldplay? Tell us on Facebook.

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