Travis Barker says precancer diagnosis led him to quit marijuana

“I only quit because I got diagnosed with precancer of the esophagus,” Barker said. He added that he had loved smoking blunts and used to smoke too much. When he asked his doctor whether the condition was serious, the physician called it “your warning shot” and told him to stop smoking. Barker said he might otherwise have kept smoking joints, joking that he had thought he could follow Willie Nelson’s example and smoke for the rest of his life.

Barker, 51, did not say when he received the diagnosis or provide details about follow-up care. He said he misses smoking. The article also describes him as having been vegetarian since age 13 and becoming fully vegan after surviving a plane crash in 2008.

In a 2008 Men’s Health profile, Barker said he had smoked as many as 20 joints a day before the crash, calling that an “excessive amount.” He said the crash, in which he lost three friends and nearly died, became his “wake-up call” and that he might not have quit without it. Barker also spoke about distance running as part of his wellness routine.

Barker married Kourtney Kardashian in 2022. Their son Rocky was born in November 2023.