Call of Duty Black Ops 6's bong gun sparks debate over drug promotion amid player bans for swearing

WTF?! The Call of Duty games have been receiving unexpected operators and weapon skins for years, and the latest entry in the series, Black Ops 6, is no different. An upcoming DLC for the popular FPS will include a gun that is also a bong, which you can actually smoke in-game. Its appearance has started a debate over why Activision can seemingly promote drug culture while also banning people for swearing.

Video of the bong gun was highlighted by ModernWarzone, a fan-made Call of Duty account on X that posted a datamined clip of the weapon. It's part of the Dank Days Tracer Pack, which includes a slew of weed-themed items such as this "Bongshot" Mastercraft Blueprint for the KSV SMG. Activision writes that the weapon's visual effects intensify as players successfully score more kills.

New KSV Bongshot Mastercraft inspection 🍃 pic.twitter.com/Ea4S03JQvz

Black Ops 6 hands out communications bans to players who use aggressive, offensive, derogatory, or culturally charged language. The Call of Duty Code of Conduct prohibits hate speech, discrimination, sexism, harassment, and cyber-bullying, but there are plenty of comments on X suggesting it is hypocritical to enforce these rules while appearing to promote drug use.

The Dank Days Tracer Pack also features the "Blunty" operator skin that turns your character into a lizard, much like the lighter used on the bong gun. The DLC also comes with the Weed Wacker A.G.R. MK 1 scorestreak skin, the Toke-a-Bloke finishing move, the Aim High weapon reticle, the My Bong weapon charm, the Pass It spray, and the Greener Grass loading screen. There's even a baseball bat that turns into a mobile rave with a cat as a DJ.

Baseball bat that turns into a rave with a cat as the DJ in Call of Duty Black Ops 6pic.twitter.com/YV4UcLqUD6

This isn't the first instance of marijuana-themed content appearing in the Call of Duty games. Cheech and Chong, voiced by the comedians themselves, appeared in an event called Blaze Up in 2023.

Going back to the original Modern Warfare 2's release in 2009, there were emblems and calling cards that referenced dope, including a cannabis leaf and a name card with a depiction of a joint. These drug references were part of the reason why the ERSB awarded it an M rating.

Black Ops 6 is proving to be the best-reviewed Call of Duty game in years. It was one of our picks in The Best PC Games (You Should Be Playing) feature.