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Thank you for checking out MPP's first annual "Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users" list. In order to come up with the final ranking, we asked our supporters to choose from nearly 200 influential people to help us narrow down the list to the final 50 you see here. We took the 37 individuals who received the most votes from our supporters and added them to MPP's top 13 automatic qualifiers (including people like Clarence Thomas). Then all 50 were ranked using the criteria below.
In order to have qualified for the list, each individual must (1) have tried marijuana at least once, (2) be alive, and (3) be living in the U.S. or be a U.S. citizen. We also asked our supporters to adhere to the definition for the "Power 50" list that's used by "Out" magazine, which employs the following criteria: "the power to influence cultural and social attitudes, political clout, individual wealth, and a person's media profile."
In sum, we're not concerned with an individual's popularity, or even whether he or she supports marijuana policy reform. Rather, the 2012 "Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users" list is meant to identify people who have used marijuana and achieved high levels of success or influence.
We hope you enjoy this list. We're excited to see how the most influential marijuana users change from year to year. (Prediction: Newt Gingrich will drop off the list.)
1. President Barack Obama
"When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point."
2. Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
"The White House said today that Judge Clarence Thomas, President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, had smoked marijuana while in college."
3. Former President Bill Clinton
"I experimented with marijuana a time or two."
4. Former President George W Bush
"I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."
5. Michael Phelps
"[Phelps] firmly denies that he takes drugs, suggesting that the notorious photo of him smoking from a bong was a one-time lapse of judgement."
6. Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
"That was a sign we were alive and in graduate school in that era."
7. Jon Stewart
"Do you know how many movies I wrote when I was high?"
8. George Soros
"He said he had tried marijuana, enjoyed it, 'but it did not become a habit and I have not tasted it in many years."
9. Bill Gates
"As for drugs - well, Gates was certainly not unusual there. Marijuana was the pharmaceutical of choice..."
10. George Clooney
"The owner of a local cannabis cafe told reporters George Clooney was no stranger there."
11. Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson
"In that state somebody came by and said. 'Gary? Would marijuana help do you think?' And my response was immediately, 'Yes, I don't know why I didn't think of it, but I think that would help immensely.' And it did."
12. Lebron James
"James also revealed he and his teammates smoked marijuana one night after getting access to a hotel room in Akron."
13. Mayor Michael Bloomberg
"You bet I did. And I enjoyed it."
14. Sarah Palin
"I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled."
15. Woody Harrelson
"I do smoke...it's about personal freedom...Seventy-two million people in this country have smoked pot.... These people should not be criminals."
16. Al Gore
"Mr. Gore had said his cannabis consumption was 'infrequent and rare."
17. Bill Maher
"Look, I have never made a secret of the fact that I have tried marijuana... About 50,000 times."
18. Willie Nelson
"Don't tell me about health when you're talking about legalizing marijuana because it's not dangerous health-wise. I'm the canary in the mine, and I'm still healthy."
19. Snoop Dogg (Snoop Lion)
"It makes me feel the way I need to feel."
20. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA)
"I did smoke a joint and I did inhale."
21. Maya Angelou
"Angelou settled into a job as a waitress and began smoking marijuana with abandon."
22. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
"Regular marijuana use didn't impede the ability of basketball legend... Kareem Abdul-Jabbar"
23. Brad Pitt
"I was hiding out from the celebrity thing, I was smoking way too much [marijuana]."
24. Angelina Jolie
"...the one that has the worst effect for me was pot. I felt silly and giggly - I hate feeling like that."
25. Harrison Ford
"At the 2002 NORML Conference, Bill Maher called for "prominent people... who smoke a lot of pot," like Ford."
David Letterman
"I went through one period when I smoked a surprising, a really breath-taking, amount of grass almost every night."
27. Jack Nicholson
"The hard drugs are gone, but he continues... to smoke cannabis."
28. Jeff Bridges
"If it's (marijuana) offered i'll take it but I'm not a regular smoker, despite what people may think."
29. Oliver Stone
"I went to Vietnam, and I was there for a long time. [Using marijuana] made the difference between staying human or, as Michael Douglas said, becoming a beast."
30. Johnny Depp
"I'm not a great pothead or anything like that... but weed is much, much less dangerous than alcohol."
31. Bob Dylan
"Bob Dylan introduced Sir Paul to marijuana in the mid-Sixties after discovering the Beatle was a 'pot virgin'."
32. Morgan Freeman
"Never give up the ganja."
33. Jack Black
"There is an occasional celebratory jay, but it's not a wake-and-bake scenario anymore at all."
34. Seth Rogen
"I smoked a lot of weed growing up."
35. Matt Damon
"The first time I smoked was at home with my mother and step-father."
36. Conan O' Brien
"I've tried pot, but it doesn't do much for me."
Robert Downey Jr.
"Robert Downey Jr. said he started smoking weed at age 8."
38. Jennifer Aniston
"I enjoy it once in a while. There is nothing wrong with that. Everything in moderation. I wouldn't call myself a pot-head."
39. Bill Murray
"Arrested and convicted for possessing nine pounds of marijuana in 1970."
40. Hugh Hefner
"Smoking helped put me in tough with the realm of the senses."
41. Tommy Chong
"Legalizing marijuana means a lot more to me than just smoking a joint. I want to be able to use cannabis to treat my cancer without being arrested."
42. Cheech Marin
"Q: Do you even smoke pot? A: Yeah, every once in a while, I'm Cheech!"
43. Robin Williams
"When we were growing up we knew the side effects of the drugs we were taking... marijuana, side effects were laughter, Frosted Flakes."
44. Whoopi Goldberg
"Smoking cigarettes and pot every now and then are my habits."
45. Former Gov. Jesse Ventura (MN)
"I grew up in the '60s. If you grew up in the '60s and say you didn't smoke pot, you are either a liar or you really didn't grow up in the '60s."
Stephen King
"I don't smoke very much marijuana at all anymore, because I'm afraid of additives, which come from decontrol and deregulation."
47. Bruce Willis
"I only liked pot, though, I smoked a lot of pot and when I wasn't acting, I was out dancing every night."
48. Neil Young
"I try not to smoke too much. I don't want to set a bad example for the kids."
49. Montel Williams
"...and I will [use marijuana for medical reasons] every day until I drop dead."
50. Carlos Santana
"Santana built this place in 1983, about when he began smoking marijuana after 10 years of abstinence."
Source: mpp.org
Author: mpp.org
Website: 2012 Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users
In order to have qualified for the list, each individual must (1) have tried marijuana at least once, (2) be alive, and (3) be living in the U.S. or be a U.S. citizen. We also asked our supporters to adhere to the definition for the "Power 50" list that's used by "Out" magazine, which employs the following criteria: "the power to influence cultural and social attitudes, political clout, individual wealth, and a person's media profile."
In sum, we're not concerned with an individual's popularity, or even whether he or she supports marijuana policy reform. Rather, the 2012 "Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users" list is meant to identify people who have used marijuana and achieved high levels of success or influence.
We hope you enjoy this list. We're excited to see how the most influential marijuana users change from year to year. (Prediction: Newt Gingrich will drop off the list.)
1. President Barack Obama
"When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point."
2. Associate Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas
"The White House said today that Judge Clarence Thomas, President Bush's Supreme Court nominee, had smoked marijuana while in college."
3. Former President Bill Clinton
"I experimented with marijuana a time or two."
4. Former President George W Bush
"I wouldn't answer the marijuana questions. You know why? Because I don't want some little kid doing what I tried."
5. Michael Phelps
"[Phelps] firmly denies that he takes drugs, suggesting that the notorious photo of him smoking from a bong was a one-time lapse of judgement."
6. Former Speaker of the House, Newt Gingrich (R-GA)
"That was a sign we were alive and in graduate school in that era."
7. Jon Stewart
"Do you know how many movies I wrote when I was high?"
8. George Soros
"He said he had tried marijuana, enjoyed it, 'but it did not become a habit and I have not tasted it in many years."
9. Bill Gates
"As for drugs - well, Gates was certainly not unusual there. Marijuana was the pharmaceutical of choice..."
10. George Clooney
"The owner of a local cannabis cafe told reporters George Clooney was no stranger there."
11. Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate Gary Johnson
"In that state somebody came by and said. 'Gary? Would marijuana help do you think?' And my response was immediately, 'Yes, I don't know why I didn't think of it, but I think that would help immensely.' And it did."
12. Lebron James
"James also revealed he and his teammates smoked marijuana one night after getting access to a hotel room in Akron."
13. Mayor Michael Bloomberg
"You bet I did. And I enjoyed it."
14. Sarah Palin
"I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled."
15. Woody Harrelson
"I do smoke...it's about personal freedom...Seventy-two million people in this country have smoked pot.... These people should not be criminals."
16. Al Gore
"Mr. Gore had said his cannabis consumption was 'infrequent and rare."
17. Bill Maher
"Look, I have never made a secret of the fact that I have tried marijuana... About 50,000 times."
18. Willie Nelson
"Don't tell me about health when you're talking about legalizing marijuana because it's not dangerous health-wise. I'm the canary in the mine, and I'm still healthy."
19. Snoop Dogg (Snoop Lion)
"It makes me feel the way I need to feel."
20. Former Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (CA)
"I did smoke a joint and I did inhale."
21. Maya Angelou
"Angelou settled into a job as a waitress and began smoking marijuana with abandon."
22. Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
"Regular marijuana use didn't impede the ability of basketball legend... Kareem Abdul-Jabbar"
23. Brad Pitt
"I was hiding out from the celebrity thing, I was smoking way too much [marijuana]."
24. Angelina Jolie
"...the one that has the worst effect for me was pot. I felt silly and giggly - I hate feeling like that."
25. Harrison Ford
"At the 2002 NORML Conference, Bill Maher called for "prominent people... who smoke a lot of pot," like Ford."
David Letterman
"I went through one period when I smoked a surprising, a really breath-taking, amount of grass almost every night."
27. Jack Nicholson
"The hard drugs are gone, but he continues... to smoke cannabis."
28. Jeff Bridges
"If it's (marijuana) offered i'll take it but I'm not a regular smoker, despite what people may think."
29. Oliver Stone
"I went to Vietnam, and I was there for a long time. [Using marijuana] made the difference between staying human or, as Michael Douglas said, becoming a beast."
30. Johnny Depp
"I'm not a great pothead or anything like that... but weed is much, much less dangerous than alcohol."
31. Bob Dylan
"Bob Dylan introduced Sir Paul to marijuana in the mid-Sixties after discovering the Beatle was a 'pot virgin'."
32. Morgan Freeman
"Never give up the ganja."
33. Jack Black
"There is an occasional celebratory jay, but it's not a wake-and-bake scenario anymore at all."
34. Seth Rogen
"I smoked a lot of weed growing up."
35. Matt Damon
"The first time I smoked was at home with my mother and step-father."
36. Conan O' Brien
"I've tried pot, but it doesn't do much for me."
Robert Downey Jr.
"Robert Downey Jr. said he started smoking weed at age 8."
38. Jennifer Aniston
"I enjoy it once in a while. There is nothing wrong with that. Everything in moderation. I wouldn't call myself a pot-head."
39. Bill Murray
"Arrested and convicted for possessing nine pounds of marijuana in 1970."
40. Hugh Hefner
"Smoking helped put me in tough with the realm of the senses."
41. Tommy Chong
"Legalizing marijuana means a lot more to me than just smoking a joint. I want to be able to use cannabis to treat my cancer without being arrested."
42. Cheech Marin
"Q: Do you even smoke pot? A: Yeah, every once in a while, I'm Cheech!"
43. Robin Williams
"When we were growing up we knew the side effects of the drugs we were taking... marijuana, side effects were laughter, Frosted Flakes."
44. Whoopi Goldberg
"Smoking cigarettes and pot every now and then are my habits."
45. Former Gov. Jesse Ventura (MN)
"I grew up in the '60s. If you grew up in the '60s and say you didn't smoke pot, you are either a liar or you really didn't grow up in the '60s."
Stephen King
"I don't smoke very much marijuana at all anymore, because I'm afraid of additives, which come from decontrol and deregulation."
47. Bruce Willis
"I only liked pot, though, I smoked a lot of pot and when I wasn't acting, I was out dancing every night."
48. Neil Young
"I try not to smoke too much. I don't want to set a bad example for the kids."
49. Montel Williams
"...and I will [use marijuana for medical reasons] every day until I drop dead."
50. Carlos Santana
"Santana built this place in 1983, about when he began smoking marijuana after 10 years of abstinence."
Source: mpp.org
Author: mpp.org
Website: 2012 Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users
