List of United States politicians who admit to cannabis use
Cannabis is a drug and, as hemp, a source for fibers, oil and seed. Prior to its prohibition, U.S. politicians known for growing hemp include some of the nation's Founding Fathers and presidents. Politicians who have admitted to recreational use of the drug during prohibition include mayors, governors, members of the House of Representatives, Senators and presidents.
List of politicians who farmed hemp
| Name | Lifetime | Highest position | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Benjamin Franklin | 1706–1790 | President of the Supreme Executive Council of Pennsylvania | Independent |
| Thomas Jefferson | 1743–1826 | President of the United States | Democratic-Republican |
| Madison | 1751–1836 | President of the United States | Democratic-Republican |
| Washington | 1732–1799 | President of the United States | Independent |
During prohibition
In the U.S., cannabis was initially grown for industrial reasons, though recreational use spread quickly during the 20th century. Harry J. Anslinger, 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 United States Congress passed the Boggs Act of 1952 and the Narcotics Control Act of 1956.
During the counterculture of the 1960s, attitudes towards marijuana and drug abuse policy changed as use became widespread among "white middle-class college students". In Leary v. United States (1969), the Supreme Court held the Marihuana Tax Act to be unconstitutional since it violated the Fifth Amendment to the United States Constitution privilege against self-incrimination. 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the Controlled Substances Act as Title II of the Comprehensive Drug Abuse Prevention and Control Act of 1970, which repealed the Marihuana Tax Act. 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.
However, a wave of conservatism during the 1980s allowed president Ronald Reagan to accelerate the War on Drugs during his presidency, 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 (1984), the Anti-Drug Abuse Act (1986), and the Anti-Drug Abuse Amendment Act (1988). Since California voters passed the Proposition 215 in 1996, 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 the 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.
Use by politicians during prohibition
Politicians that have admitted to recreational use during prohibition include mayors, governors, members of the House of Representatives, Senators and presidents.
| Name | Lifetime | Highest position | Party |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bruce Babbitt | b. 1938 | Governor of Arizona, United States Secretary of the Interior|Secretary of the Interior | Democratic |
| Michael Bloomberg | b. 1942 | Mayor of New York City | Independent |
| Bill Bradley | b. 1943 | Senator from New Jersey | Democratic |
| George W. Bush | b. 1946 | President of the United States | Republican |
| Jack Conway | b. 1969 | Attorney General of Kentucky | Democratic |
| Paul Cellucci | 1948–2013 | Governor of Massachusetts | Republican |
| Lincoln Chafee | b. 1953 | Senator from Rhode Island, List of Governors of Rhode Island|Governor of Rhode Island | independent |
| Lawton Chiles | 1930–1998 | Senator from Florida, List of Governors of Florida|Governor of Florida | Democratic |
| Bill Clinton | b. 1946 | President of the United States | Democratic |
| Steve Cohen | b. 1949 | House of Representatives | Democratic |
| Andrew Cuomo | b. 1957 | Governor of New York | Democratic |
| Howard Dean | b. 1948 | Governor of Vermont, Chair of the Democratic National Committee | Democratic |
| Joseph DeNucci | b. 1939 | Auditor of Massachusetts | Democratic |
| Mary Donohue | b. 1947 | Lieutenant Governor of New York | Republican |
| John Edwards | b. 1953 | Senator from North Carolina | Democratic |
| Newt Gingrich | b. 1943 | Speaker of the United States House of Representatives | Republican |
| Al Gore | b. 1948 | Vice President of the United States | Democratic |
| Gary Johnson | b. 1953 | Governor of New Mexico | Libertarian |
| Joseph P. Kennedy | b. 1952 | House of Representatives | Democratic |
| John Kerry | b. 1943 | Secretary of State | Democratic |
| Ed Koch | 1924–2013 | House of Representatives, Mayor of New York City | Democratic |
| Richard Lamm | b. 1935 | Governor of Colorado | Democratic |
| Connie Mack III | b. 1940 | Senator from Florida | Republican |
| Kyle E. McSlarrow | b. 1960 | Deputy Secretary of the [[United States Department of Energy|Department of Energy | Republican |
| John Miller | b. 1938 | House of Representatives | Republican |
| Susan Molinari | b. 1958 | House of Representatives | Republican |
| Jim Moran | b. 1945 | House of Representatives | Democratic |
| Evelyn Murphy | b. 1940 | Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts | Democratic |
| Richard Neal | b. 1949 | House of Representatives | Democratic |
| Barack Obama | b. 1961 | President of the United States | Democratic |
| Sarah Palin | b. 1964 | Governor of Alaska | Republican |
| George Pataki | b. 1945 | Governor of New York | Republican |
| David Paterson | b. 1954 | Governor of New York | Democratic |
| Edward W. Pattison | 1932–1990 | House of Representatives | Democratic |
| Claiborne Pell | 1918-2009 | Senator from Rhode Island | Democratic |
| Dana Rohrabacher | b.1947 | House of Representatives | Republican |
| Rick Santorum | b. 1958 | Senator from Pennsylvania | Republican |
| Arnold Schwarzenegger | b. 1947 | Governor of California | Republican |
| William Scranton III | b. 1947 | Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania | Republican |
| Bill Thompson | b. 1953 | New York City Comptroller | Democratic |
| Peter G. Torkildsen | b. 1958 | House of Representatives | Republican |
| Jesse Ventura | b. 1951 | Governor of Minnesota | Independent |
See also
Decriminalization of non-medical cannabis in the United States
