Friday, March 29, 2024

Here Are 11 U.S. Presidents Who Smoked Marijuana

Through documentation and research, we can firmly conclude at least four modern president used cannabis.

Modern presidents often face a rigorous background check into possibly checkered histories. We put them through the wringer, separating them apart to discover what drives them underneath. One of those oft-asked queries includes cannabis usage.

Through documentation and research, we can firmly conclude at least four modern president used cannabis. Others range from speculation to possible hemp consumption. In one way or another, however, these 11 presidents were fans of the green.

No. 44 Barack Obama

Rescheduling Marijuana
Photo by U.S. Department of State/Flickr

RELATED: Trump To Remove Medical Marijuana Protections From Upcoming Budget

Prior to entering the political sphere, Barack Obama wrote Dreams from My Father back in 1995. In the memoir Obama referenced dabbling with both marijuana and cocaine.

“When I was a kid, I inhaled,” he admitted during an interview leading up to his presidential campaign. “That was the point.”

No. 43 George W. Bush

In a conversation taped by former George Bush Sr. aide Doug Wead, Dubya tacitly acknowledged marijuana usage. “I wouldn’t answer the marijuana question,” he says. “You know why? ‘Cause I don’t want some little kid doing what I tried.” The conversation was taped without Bush’s knowledge, though he did also cop to cocaine usage and a drinking problem. He also said, “”Do you want your little kid to say ‘Hey daddy, President Bush tried marijuana, I think I will’?”

No. 42 Bill Clinton

Bill Clinton
Photo by Center for American Progress Action Fund/Flickr

RELATED: Bernie Sanders Says He’ll Legalize Marijuana First Day As President — Is That Possible?

Always the clever rhetorician, Clinton copped to and condemned his possible marijuana usage with one quotation. “When I was in England I experimented with marijuana a time or two, and I didn’t like it. I didn’t inhale it, and never tried it again,” he publicly said.

He might not have been lying about the inhale part. Christopher Hitchens attended Oxford University around the same time as Clinton. In his memoir Hitch-22 he wrote, “He preferred, like many another marijuana enthusiast, to take his dope in the form of large handfuls of cookies and brownies.”

 No. 35 John F. Kennedy

The biography John F. Kennedy: A Biography reveals that the President used marijuana to deal with back problems. One excerpt from the book reads: “On the evening of July 16, 1962, according to [Washington Post executive] Jim Truitt, Kennedy and Mary Meyer smoked marijuana together. … The president smoked three of the six joints Mary brought to him. At first he felt no effects. Then he closed his eyes and refused a fourth joint. ‘Suppose the Russians did something now,’ he said.

No. 14 Franklin Pierce

Prior to running for President, Franklin Pierce was just a soldier in the Mexican-American War. In correspondence back home, he wrote marijuana smoking was “about the only good thing” regarding the war.

No. 12 Zachary Taylor and No. 7 Andrew Jackson

Though the evidence isn’t as documented as previous entries, both Taylor and Jackson were said to have smoked marijuana alongside their troops.

No. 5 James Monroe

When he served as the ambassador to France, James Monroe openly smoked hashish and continued to do so until his death at 73.

No. 4 James Madison

The Father of the Constitution once claimed that hemp inspired him to create a new democratic nation. As one source notes, “It is likely that President Madison is referring to the industrial variety of cannabis so prized by the early colonists. Still, some believe that the “insight” part refers to the mind-altering properties of an ingested variety of cannabis.

No. 3 Thomas Jefferson

Speculation abounds regarding Jefferson’s usage. He was a known hemp farmer and thought to be cultivating the plants for himself. This remains unconfirmed, however. Though it is worth noting that Jefferson was an ambassador to France during the hashish era.

No. 2 John Adams

America’s second president was known to be a huge proponent of industrial hemp. In a postscript, he wrote under the pseudonym Humphrey Ploughjogger for the Boston Evening-Post in 1763, “we shall by and by want a world of Hemp more for our own consumshon.”

No. 1 George Washington

Like other presidents on this list, George Washington grew hemp. In a letter of correspondence he wrote, “Began to separate the male from female plants rather too late…Pulling up the (male) hemp. Was too late for the blossom hemp by three weeks or a month.” The implication here is that Washington was chasing the female plant for its higher THC content.

MUST READ

Maybe The New James Bond Should Update With Marijuana

There is a new face, but maybe the new James Bond should update with marijuana. After all, it isn't the 50s anymore.

MORE BY THIS AUTHOR

Like Marijuana, Sleep Deprivation Can Trigger The Munchies

Lack of sleep is rough and can cause weight gain. Data shows like marijuana, sleep deprivation can trigger the munchies.

Don't Miss Your Weekly Dose of The Fresh Toast.

Stay informed with exclusive news briefs delivered directly to your inbox every Friday.

We respect your privacy. Unsubscribe anytime.