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List of United States politicians who have acknowledged cannabis use

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Before the prohibition of cannabis in the United States, some of the nation's Founding Fathers and presidents grew hemp. Politicians who have admitted to recreational use of the drug prior to its decriminalization or legalization include mayors, governors, members of the U.S. Congress, vice presidents and presidents.

A painting of a man with white hair wearing a white ruffled shirt and dark coat
George Washington, the first president and one of the Founding Fathers, was known to have grown hemp.

Background

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Further information: Legal history of cannabis in the United States

In the United States, cannabis was initially grown for industrial reasons, though it quickly became a staple medicinal product in the early 19th century and recreational use became more prevalent during the 20th century.[1] Harry J. Anslinger, the commissioner of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics, responded to political pressure to ban marijuana at a nationwide level. The Marihuana Tax Act of 1937 created an expensive excise tax, and included penalty provisions and elaborate rules of enforcement to which marijuana, cannabis, or hemp handlers, were subject. Mandatory sentencing and increased punishment were enacted when the U.S. Congress passed the Boggs Act of 1951 and the Narcotics Control Act of 1956.[2]

During the counterculture of the 1960s, attitudes towards marijuana and drug abuse policy changed as marijuana use among "white middle-class college students" became widespread.[3] In Leary v. United States (1969), the U.S. Supreme Court held the Marihuana Tax Act to be unconstitutional since it violated the Fifth Amendment. In response, Congress passed the Controlled Substances Act as Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, which repealed the Marihuana Tax Act.[4] In 1972, the National Commission on Marijuana and Drug Abuse concluded that marijuana should be decriminalized, but that public use and driving while intoxicated should remain illegal. By the end of the decade, several states had decriminalized the drug, while many others weakened their laws against cannabis use.

A wave of conservatism during the 1980s allowed president Ronald Reagan to accelerate the war on drugs, prompting anti-drug campaigns such as the "Just Say No" campaign of first lady Nancy Reagan. Federal penalties for cultivation, possession, or transfer of marijuana were increased by the Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 and the Anti-Drug Abuse Acts of 1986 and 1988.[5] Since California voters passed the 1996 California Proposition 215, which legalized medical cannabis, several states have followed suit. However, United States v. Oakland Cannabis Buyers' Cooperative (2001) rejected the common-law medical necessity defense to crimes enacted under the Controlled Substances Act because Congress concluded that cannabis has "no currently accepted medical use" and Gonzales v. Raich (2005) concluded that the Commerce Clause of Article One of the U.S. Constitution allowed the federal government to ban the use of cannabis, including medical use. Today, cannabis remains classified as a Schedule I drug under the Controlled Substances Act, and possession is punishable by up to one year in jail and a minimum fine of $1,000 for a first conviction.[6]

List of politicians who farmed hemp

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This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
 
Thomas Jefferson, the third president
Name Lifetime Highest position Party Ref.
Benjamin Franklin 1706–1790 President of Pennsylvania Independent [7]
Thomas Jefferson 1743–1826 President of the United States Democratic-Republican [8]
James Madison 1751–1836 President of the United States Democratic-Republican [9]
George Washington 1732–1799 President of the United States Independent [8]
Henry Clay 1777–1852 United States Secretary of State, United States Senator Kentucky Democratic-Republican, National Republican and Whig [10]
Parties

  Democratic-Republican   Whig   Independent

Use prior to decriminalization

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This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
 
Kamala Harris, the 49th vice president
 
George W. Bush, the 43rd president
 
Al Gore, the 45th vice president
 
Barack Obama, the 44th president
 
Sarah Palin, the 9th Alaska governor
Name Lifetime Highest position Party Ref.
Rob Astorino b. 1967 County Executive of Westchester County Republican [11]
Bruce Babbitt b. 1938 Governor of Arizona, United States Secretary of the Interior Democratic [12]
Michael Bloomberg b. 1942 Mayor of New York City Democratic [13]
Bill Bradley b. 1943 United States Senator from New Jersey Democratic [14]
George W. Bush b. 1946 President of the United States Republican [15]
Jeb Bush b. 1953 Governor of Florida Republican [16]
Pete Buttigieg b. 1982 United States Secretary of Transportation Democratic [17]
Paul Cellucci 1948–2013 Governor of Massachusetts Republican [18]
Lincoln Chafee b. 1953 United States Senator from Rhode Island, Governor of Rhode Island Libertarian [19]
Lawton Chiles 1930–1998 United States Senator from Florida, Governor of Florida Democratic [20]
Bill Clinton b. 1946 President of the United States Democratic [21]
Steve Cohen b. 1949 United States Representative from Tennessee Democratic [22]
Jack Conway b. 1969 Attorney General of Kentucky Democratic [23]
Ted Cruz b. 1970 United States Senator from Texas Republican [24]
Andrew Cuomo b. 1957 Governor of New York Democratic [25]
Bill de Blasio b. 1961 Mayor of New York City Democratic [26]
Howard Dean b. 1948 Governor of Vermont Democratic [27]
Joseph DeNucci b. 1939 Auditor of Massachusetts Democratic [18]
Mary Donohue b. 1947 Lieutenant Governor of New York Republican [28]
Shaun Donovan b. 1966 United States Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Democratic [29]
John Edwards b. 1953 United States Senator from North Carolina Democratic [27]
Newt Gingrich b. 1943 United States Representative from Georgia Republican [12]
Al Gore b. 1948 Vice President of the United States Democratic [30]
Kamala Harris b. 1964 Vice President of the United States Democratic [31]
Maggie Hassan b. 1958 Governor of New Hampshire, United States Senator from New Hampshire Democratic [32]
John Hickenlooper b. 1952 United States Senator from Colorado, Governor of Colorado Democratic [33]
Eric Holcomb b. 1968 Governor of Indiana Republican [34]
Gary Johnson b. 1953 Governor of New Mexico Libertarian [35]
Mondaire Jones b. 1987 United States Representative from New York Democratic [36]
John Kasich b. 1952 Governor of Ohio Republican [37]
Joseph P. Kennedy II b. 1952 United States Representative from Massachusetts Democratic [18]
John Kerry b. 1943 United States Secretary of State Democratic [27]
Ed Koch 1924–2013 Mayor of New York City Democratic [38]
Richard Lamm 1935–2021 Governor of Colorado Democratic [39]
Connie Mack III b. 1940 United States Senator from Florida Republican [20]
Kyle E. McSlarrow b. 1960 United States Deputy Secretary of Energy Republican [40]
John Miller 1938–2017 United States Representative from Washington Republican [41]
Susan Molinari b. 1958 United States Representative from New York Republican [42]
Jim Moran b. 1945 United States Representative from Virginia Democratic [40]
Seth Moulton b. 1978 United States Representative from Massachusetts Democratic [43]
Evelyn Murphy b. 1940 Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts Democratic [18]
Phil Murphy b. 1957 Governor of New Jersey Democratic [44]
Richard Neal b. 1949 United States Representative from Massachusetts Democratic [18]
Barack Obama b. 1961 President of the United States Democratic [45]
Sarah Palin b. 1964 Governor of Alaska Republican [46]
George Pataki b. 1945 Governor of New York Republican [25]
David Paterson b. 1954 Governor of New York Democratic [47]
Edward W. Pattison 1932–1990 United States Representative from New York Democratic [48]
Claiborne Pell 1918–2009 United States Senator from Rhode Island Democratic [12]
Rob Portman b. 1955 United States Senator from Ohio, U.S. Trade Representative Republican [49]
J. B. Pritzker b. 1965 Governor of Illinois Democratic [50]
Dana Rohrabacher b. 1947 United States Representative from California Republican [51]
Bernie Sanders b. 1941 United States Senator from Vermont Independent[a] [52]
Rick Santorum b. 1958 United States Senator from Pennsylvania Republican [53]
Arnold Schwarzenegger b. 1947 Governor of California Republican [54]
William Scranton III b. 1947 Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania Republican [55]
Kevin Stitt b. 1972 Governor of Oklahoma Republican [56]
Scott Stringer b. 1960 New York City Comptroller Democratic [29]
Bill Thompson b. 1953 New York City Comptroller Democratic [57]
Peter G. Torkildsen b. 1958 United States Representative from Massachusetts Republican [18]
Jesse Ventura b. 1951 Governor of Minnesota Independent [58]
Janet Yellen b. 1946 United States Secretary of the Treasury Democratic [59]
Parties

  Democratic   Republican   Independent   Libertarian

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Congressional affiliation

References

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Citations

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  1. ^ Zuardi 2006, pp. 155–156.
  2. ^ Schlosser 2003, p. 21.
  3. ^ Schlosser 2003, p. 22.
  4. ^ Pub. L. No. 91–513, 84 Stat. 1236 (October 27, 1973).
  5. ^ Schlosser 2003, p. 25.
  6. ^ Tschorn, Adam (August 30, 2009). "Marijuana's new high life". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  7. ^ Kelly, Annie (September 27, 2006). "Hemp is at hand". The Guardian. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  8. ^ a b Wren, Christopher (April 1, 1999). "U.S. Farmers Covet a Forbidden Crop". The New York Times. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  9. ^ Wasserman, Harvey (January 29, 2009). "This President's Day, Remember that George Washington Raised Hemp & Probably Smoked it". The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 21, 2009.
  10. ^ Klotter 2018, pp. 275–277.
  11. ^ Jimmy Vielkind, Rob Astorino 'smoked a couple of joints' in college, Politico New York (March 7, 2014).
  12. ^ a b c "Gore and Babbitt also confess they smoked marijuana". The Gainesville Sun. The New York Times Company. November 8, 1987. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  13. ^ "NY Mayor appears in marijuana ads". BBC News. April 9, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  14. ^ Barabak, Mark (August 21, 1999). "To Err, Bush May Find in the '90s, Is to Be Forgiven". Los Angeles Times. p. 2. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  15. ^ "Bush admits to smoking pot in taped discussion". Taipei Times. Associated Press. February 21, 2005. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
  16. ^ Miller, Jake (January 31, 2015). "Jeb Bush is a hypocrite about marijuana, Rand Paul says". CBS News. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  17. ^ "Democrat Buttigieg used marijuana 'a handful of times'". The Associated Press. October 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2021.
  18. ^ a b c d e f "Several politicians admit marijuana use". The Register-Guard. Guard Publishing. March 5, 1990. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  19. ^ Ayres, B. Drummond (August 25, 1999). "Political Briefing; In Rhode Island, A Decision to Tell All". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  20. ^ a b "Chiles follows Mack, admits smoking pot". The Gainesville Sun. The New York Times Company. November 10, 1987. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  21. ^ "Clinton Tried Marijuana as a Student, He Says". The New York Times. March 30, 1992. Archived from the original on February 24, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  22. ^ Walker, Henry (October 2, 1997). "Desperately Seeking the News". Nashville Scene. Village Voice Media. p. 1. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2010.
  23. ^ Estep, Bill; Jack Brammer (October 14, 2010). "Rand Paul accused of using marijuana in college; Jack Conway admits he tried it". Lexington Herald-Leader. The McClatchy Company. Retrieved October 16, 2010.
  24. ^ "REPORT: Ted Cruz smoked weed as a teenager". Business Insider. February 3, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  25. ^ a b Dewan, Shaila (August 6, 2002). "Cuomo Urges Repeal of Rockefeller Drug Laws and Offers New Sentencing Plan". The New York Times. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  26. ^ Jillian Jorgensen, Bill de Blasio Says He Hasn't Smoked Weed Since College, New York Observer (November 19, 2015).
  27. ^ a b c Smith, Jordan (November 14, 2003). "Dems on Drugs: Any Questions?". The Austin Chronicle. Austin Chronicle Corporation. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  28. ^ Schwartzman, Paul (July 30, 1998). "Cheering for George Mary Donohue takes spotlight to win place in Pataki's shadow". Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Archived from the original on March 25, 2010. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  29. ^ a b "New York City Mayoral Candidates - Who's for Pot?". June 12, 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  30. ^ Ellison, Michael (February 7, 2000). "Gore was avid pot smoker - book". The Guardian. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  31. ^ Kamala Harris says she smoked marijuana in college while listening to music that didn't exist yet, Washington Times (February 12, 2019)
  32. ^ Gov. Hassan says she smoked marijuana while in college, New Hampshire Union Leader (February 10, 2014)
  33. ^ Josiah Hesse (October 15, 2022). "'This can be done right': how Colorado sparked a decade of marijuana reform". The Guardian. Manchester, UK. Hickenlooper said at a recent event marking the anniversary and citing a state health survey of 40,000 participants. "Just to be clear, I smoked pot when I was 16 … and I feel pretty darn sure now that [legalization] is a much better societal decision than what I grew up in."
  34. ^ Carden, Dan (February 27, 2019). "Gov. Holcomb admits using marijuana in college, still opposes legalization in Indiana". The Times of Northwest Indiana.
  35. ^ "Should the Government Legalize Drugs?". CNN. February 22, 2001. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  36. ^ Sommerfeldt, Chris. "Rep. Mondaire Jones admits past weed use while calling on Biden to reverse pot-related White House firings". New York Daily News. Retrieved May 21, 2022.
  37. ^ Khalil AlHajal, John Kasich annoyed by question on whether he's smoked marijuana, MLive (March 8, 2016).
  38. ^ "Mayor Koch admits he's tried marijuana". Boca Raton News. South Florida Media Company. November 13, 1980. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  39. ^ "Lamm Says He, Too, Tried Marijuana". Associated Press. August 22, 1996. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
  40. ^ a b "In Virginia, a Child's Illness Quiets a Congressional Campaign". The New York Times. August 29, 1994. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  41. ^ Blumenthal, Les (November 17, 1987). "Only one area lawmaker admits pot use". The Spokesman-Review. Cowles Publishing Company. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  42. ^ "Molinari Says Yes (Or No?), She Inhaled". The New York Times. August 9, 1996. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  43. ^ "Seth Moulton Says He Smoked Pot at Harvard, Supports Legalization". Boston. Boston. September 19, 2016. Retrieved June 24, 2019.
  44. ^ "New Jersey Governor Says He's Used Marijuana 'Literally Once or Twice'". Bloomberg News. May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 6, 2024.
  45. ^ Seelye, Katharine (October 24, 2006). "Barack Obama, asked about drug history, admits he inhaled". The New York Times. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  46. ^ Lerer, Lisa (August 29, 2008). "Palin: She Inhaled". CBS News. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  47. ^ "David Paterson Admits Using Cocaine, Marijuana In His 20s". The Huffington Post. March 24, 2008. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  48. ^ "Politician Fights Pot Charge". Star-Banner. The New York Times Company. October 4, 1978. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  49. ^ Wehrman, Jessica (May 13, 2013). "Portman admits he smoked pot". Journal-News. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
  50. ^ Janssen, Kim (January 16, 2018). "Top 3 Illinois Dem gubernatorial candidates agree: We all smoked pot back in the day". Chicago Tribune.
  51. ^ Rohrabacher, Dana (May 13, 2013). "Dana Rohrabacher: The colossal failure of marijuana prohibition". Orange County Register. Retrieved March 14, 2014.
  52. ^ "Bernie Sanders on Hillary Clinton: 'Would she be interested in being my vice president?'". Yahoo News. June 1, 2015. Retrieved August 16, 2015.
  53. ^ "9 pols who talked pot". Politico. April 20, 2012. Retrieved January 22, 2014.
  54. ^ "Schwarzenegger: Calif. needs pot debate". NBC News. May 6, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  55. ^ "Getting high on marijuana issue". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Block Communications. November 28, 1987. Retrieved December 1, 2009.
  56. ^ Kaelan Deese (October 19, 2022). "Five takeaways from Oklahoma gubernatorial debate between Kevin Stitt and Joy Hofmeister". Washington Examiner.
  57. ^ Lisberg, Adam (August 27, 2009). "Bill Thompson and Tony Avella square off, gang up on Mayor Bloomberg in 1st mayoral debate". Daily News. Mortimer Zuckerman. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved September 30, 2009.
  58. ^ "Jesse Ventura Teases Presidential Run with Third Political Party". wrestlinginc.com.
  59. ^ "'Wait Wait' for January 27, 2024: With Not My Job guest Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen", Wait Wait Don't Tell Me (streaming audio), NPR, January 27, 2024 (at 20:30)

Works cited

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