50 Successful Marijuana Users Who Prove The Person Matters More Than The Plant

Ryan J. Reilly and Robin Wilkey
Updated

A version of this story was first published in 2013.

These guys just blew pothead stereotypes up in smoke.

Though marijuana opponents have long pointed suggesting that weed is tied to a lack of motivation, a sampling of successful people who have admitted using the drug suggests otherwise.

Pot policy reform group Marijuana Policy Project has released a list of the top 50 most influential Americans who have used marijuana, and it's a doozy.

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The list contains politicians, Supreme Court justices, entertainers, entrepreneurs and a certain leader of the free world who had a habit of “intercepting” joints as a teen in Hawaii. Some admitted only to trying the drug once or twice, while others, like Maya Angelou, reportedly “smoked marijuana with abandon.”

“The goal here is to dispel the myth that marijuana users are ‘losers’ who lack motivation, and highlight the fact that they are typically productive and oftentimes quite successful,” said Mason Tvert, director of communications for the Marijuana Policy Project, in a release. “As this list demonstrates, many of our nation’s most successful citizens have used marijuana.” Check out the slideshow below for MPP's full list of of the top most 50 influential Americans who have used marijuana:

50: Snoop Lion

<a href="http://www.esquire.com/features/what-ive-learned/snoop-dogg-0708" target="_blank">“It makes me feel the way I need to feel.”</a>
“It makes me feel the way I need to feel.”

49: Rick Steves

<a href="http://www.laweekly.com/2012-04-12/art-books/rick-steves-pot-marijuana-advocate/" target="_blank">"I have used cannabis all over the world."</a>
"I have used cannabis all over the world."

48: Oliver Stone

<a href="http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/06/29/oliver-stone-marijuana-saved-me-from-becoming-a-beast-in-vietnam/" target="_blank">“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.”</a>

47: Rihanna

<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2087637/Rihanna-smoking-weed-Hawaii-Singer-posts-cannabis-quote-Twitter.html" target="_blank">"Kush rolled, glass full... I prefer the better things!"</a>

46: Hugh Hefner

<a href="http://www.druglibrary.org/special/anderson/highinamerica8.htm" target="_blank">“Smoking helped put me in touch with the realm of the senses.”</a>
“Smoking helped put me in touch with the realm of the senses.”

45: Miley Cyrus

<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/2011/nov/28/news/la-heb-miley-cyrus-marijuana-health-20111128" target="_blank">"You know you're a stoner when your friends make you a Bob Marley cake."</a>

44: Bryan Cranston

<a href="http://business.highbeam.com/137462/article-1G1-266750728/bryan-cranston-breaking-bad-intriguing-drug-kingpin" target="_blank">"Pot always just made me sleepy.” </a>
"Pot always just made me sleepy.”

43: Robert Downey Jr

<a href="http://www.nbcnewyork.com/entertainment/celebrity/Downey-Jr-Dishes-to-Rolling-Stone--92440874.html" target="_blank">“Robert Downey Jr. said he started smoking weed at age 8.”</a>
“Robert Downey Jr. said he started smoking weed at age 8.”

42: Madonna

<a href="http://www.vulture.com/2009/10/madonna_on_letterman.html" target="_blank">"It [my behavior on the show in 1994] wasn't because I was excited about you [David Letterman]. I think it may have had something to do with the joint I smoked before I came on."</a>

41: Johnny Depp

<a href="http://www.celebstoner.com/201201199489/celebstoners/top-celebstoners/johnny-depp.html" target="_blank">"I'm not a great pothead or anything like that… but weed is much, much less dangerous than alcohol."</a>

40: Phil Jackson

In 1975 he wrote “Maverick,” a memoir about his days playing in the NBA. Among other things, Jackson spoke frankly about marijuana use. -- <a href="http://www.salon.com/2001/05/29/jackson_16/" target="_blank">Salon</a>
In 1975 he wrote “Maverick,” a memoir about his days playing in the NBA. Among other things, Jackson spoke frankly about marijuana use. -- Salon

39: Sarah Palin

<a href="http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/08/29/politics/politico/thecrypt/main4397109.shtml" target="_blank">"I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled.”</a>
"I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled.”

38: Justin Bieber

"Bieber both confirmed that he'd been caught smoking weed and apologized for it." -- <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/10/justin-bieber-apologizes-smoking-weed_n_2657314.html" target="_blank">Huffington Post</a>
"Bieber both confirmed that he'd been caught smoking weed and apologized for it." -- Huffington Post

37: Maya Angelou

<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Angelou-Blooms-BioCritiques-Cindy-Dyson/dp/0791061779" target="_blank">“Angelou settled into a job as a waitress and began smoking marijuana with abandon.”</a>

36: Lincoln Chafee

<a href="http://news.providencejournal.com/politics/2012/03/chafee-declines-to-state-views-on-marijuana-decriminalizationreadynens-to-h.html" target="_blank">"In 1999, then-Warwick Mayor Lincoln D. Chafee won accolades for his honesty in acknowledging he used marijuana and cocaine as a 1970s student at Brown University."</a>

35: Matt Damon

<a href="http://weedquotes.blogspot.com/2011/05/matt-damon-weed-quotes.html" target="_blank">“The first time I smoked was at home with my mother and step-father.”</a>
“The first time I smoked was at home with my mother and step-father.”

34: Conan O'Brien

<a href="http://www.pinkisthenewblog.com/2010-11-05/conan-obrien-talks-to-playboy-magazine" target="_blank">“I’ve tried pot, but it doesn’t do much for me.”</a>
“I’ve tried pot, but it doesn’t do much for me.”

33: Susan Sarandon

<a href="http://articles.latimes.com/1992-08-30/entertainment/ca-8213_1_susan-sarandon/2" target="_blank">"Cocaine didn't interest me. Not at all. I'm way way back in the early pot…"</a>

32: Andrew Sullivan

<a href="http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/brainiac/2009/09/sullivan_avoids_pot_charges.html" target="_blank">"The blogger and commentator Andrew Sullivan was busted in July for possessing a small amount of marijuana within the Cape Cod National Seashore."</a>

31: John Hickenlooper

<a href="http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v07/n997/a08.html?1263" target="_blank">"As I've already been open about in the past -- and as I assume many would expect -- I made personal choices when I was younger that I neither support nor condone for others and certainly wouldn't encourage through public policy."</a>

30: Seth MacFarlane

<a href="http://www.starpulse.com/news/index.php/2008/07/03/seth_macfarlane_swears_off_marijuana" target="_blank">"I don't smoke much pot anymore."</a>
"I don't smoke much pot anymore."

29: Martha Stewart

<a href="http://laist.com/2013/06/21/martha_stewart_of_course_i_know_how.php" target="_blank">"Of course I know how to roll a joint."</a>
"Of course I know how to roll a joint."

28: Angelina Jolie

<a href="http://www.metro.co.uk/showbiz/66340-angelina-jolies-reefer-madness" target="_blank">“… the one that has the worst effect for me was pot. I felt silly and giggly - I hate feeling like that.”</a>

27: Morgan Freeman

<a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2003/apr/21/artsfeatures" target="_blank">"Never give up the ganja."</a>
"Never give up the ganja."

26: David Letterman

<a href="http://www.cannabisculture.com/node/9795" target="_blank">“I went through one period when I smoked a surprising, a really breath-taking, amount of grass almost every night.”</a>

25: Jennifer Aniston

<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-71729/I-enjoy-cannabis-says-Jen.html#ixzz24Cka4lW5" target="_blank">“I enjoy it once in a while. There is nothing wrong with that. Everything in moderation. I wouldn't call myself a pot-head.”</a>

24: Michael Phelps

<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/nick-graham/michael-phelps-bong-pictu_b_162842.html" target="_blank">“[Phelps] firmly denies that he takes drugs, suggesting that the notorious photo of him smoking from a bong was a one-time lapse of judgment.”</a>

23: Tom Brokaw

<a href="http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/brokaw-on-politics-pot_b17951" target="_blank">“…what I did was experiment with a little marijuana like a lot of other people and walked away…”</a>

22: Ted Turner

<a href="http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2606.html" target="_blank">"CNN anchor Gwen Scott claimed it is common knowledge that Turner sits in his office and smokes marijuana."</a>

21: Brad Pitt

<a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2091647/Brad-Pitt-quit-smoking-marijuana-turned-doughnut.html#ixzz24BzxWK00" target="_blank">“I was hiding out from the celebrity thing, I was smoking way too much [marijuana].”</a>

20: Lady Gaga

<a href="http://content.usatoday.com/communities/entertainment/post/2011/02/lady-gaga-i-smoke-a-lot-of-pot-when-i-write-music-/1#.T143xczXEfI" target="_blank">"I smoke a lot of pot when I write music."</a>

19: Michael Bloomberg

<a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2002/04/10/nyregion/bloomberg-says-he-regrets-marijuana-remarks.html" target="_blank">"You bet I did. And I enjoyed it.''</a>
"You bet I did. And I enjoyed it.''

18: George Clooney

<a href="http://www.theweedblog.com/ten-celebrity-potheads-that-might-surprise-you/" target="_blank">“The owner of a local cannabis café told reporters George Clooney was no stranger there.”</a>

17: Rush Limbaugh

<a href="http://www.chronicle.su/news/rush-limbaugh-endorses-marijuana/" target="_blank">"I wouldn’t have been able to make it through hundreds of shows if it weren’t for the benefits of medical marijuana"</a>

16: LeBron James

<a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4350557" target="_blank">“James also revealed he and his teammates smoked marijuana one night after getting access to a hotel room in Akron.”</a>

Rice Crispy Treats

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Lollipops

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Hubby Bars (Chocolate and Hash Oil)

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Caramels

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Fudge

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Butter

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Lemonade

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P'nut Butter

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Chocolate Bars

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Chocolate-Covered Pretzels

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Brownies

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Chocolate Truffles

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Cinnamon-Blueberry Muffins

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Peanuts

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Agave Nectar

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Sugar-Free Hard Candy

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Lozenges

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Coffee

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Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

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Taffy

More info at <a href="http://cheebachew.com/" target="_blank">Cheeba Chews</a>
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Hard Candy

$15 for 6 at <a href="http://marijuanasuckers.com" target="_blank">Marijuana Market</a>
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Vegan Peanut Butter Cups

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Ice Cream

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Olive Oil

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'Bop Bop' Ice Cream Sandwiches

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Bacon Cheddar Biscuit

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Savory Pretzels

More info at <a href="http://auntiedolores.com/" target="_blank">Auntie Dolores</a>
More info at Auntie Dolores

Chocolate-Hazelnut Spread

Appropriately named <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/19/nugtella-weed-nutella_n_3769641.html" target="_blank">Nugtella</a>
Appropriately named Nugtella

This article originally appeared on HuffPost.