Memorably Oprah Winfrey told the audience of her daytime TV show that she had, in fact, smoked crack cocaine. This was 1996, during a segment about mothers with drug problems, at a time when such topics were still definitively taboo.
Following Oprah’s show-stopping speech at the Golden Globes Sunday, rumors continue to swirl that the media mogul might consider running for President in 2020. If such an event occurs, Oprah’s stance on drugs will be called into question, as will the above anecdote. And with Attorney General Jeff Sessions’ current anti-marijuana policies going into effect, cannabis legalization is bound to become a defining political issue in the coming elections.
So what does Oprah think of marijuana? Back in 2015, Oprah appeared on David Letterman’s Late Show. Her appearance was within the final weeks of Letterman’s retirement, so the show had taken a looser feel. At one point, Letterman abruptly asked Oprah, “What do you think about smoking weed? Are you smoking?”
At first a bit stunned by the sudden question, Oprah eventually replied, “Actually, no. I haven’t smoked in 30 years. Really.”
The two then discussed marijuana’s increased potency and their favorite type of munchies back in the day (“For me, it was a sleeve of Oreos,” Oprah admitted).
That response on marijuana echoed another public appearance in which Oprah was asked whether she smoked weed. She was on Watch What Happens: Live with Andy Cohen, who was delighted to play his infamous interview game of “Plead the Fifth.” The first question: when was the last time Oprah smoked marijuana?
“Uh … 19 … 82,” Winfrey responded after thinking about it.
“Let’s hang out after the show,” Cohen asked her, hinting at updating her year.
“Okay!” Winfrey laughed. “I hear it’s gotten better.”
So Oprah previously enjoyed marijuana, but hasn’t in some time. She doesn’t seem to hold a strong opinion for or against either. Whatever her true stance is we probably won’t know until she’s directly asked, but it appears like an improvement versus the current administration’s marijuana policies.
