4 Conservative Politicians That Will Shock You When You Learn It’s Smoked Weed

Politicians’ personal experiences with marijuana in America have a long and evolving history. From Bill Clinton’s famous claim that he smoked but not inhaled marijuana, to George W. Bush admitting to having smoked weed in a private (recorded) conversation in his youth, examples abound.

Regardless of how the information becomes public, marijuana can be a difficult path in the personal lives of politicians. This is understandable given that these politicians have either currently or previously helped establish the public policy that still upholds a federal ban on marijuana. So the idea of ​​someone who has experimented with marijuana but maintains their illegal status is, well, curious say the least.

Barack Obama was open about his past marijuana use in his memoir, but many other politicians were vague and apologized for their past run-ins with Mary Jane. In fact, several politicians have become quite conservative since smoking weed, with some even condemning its use and existence on American soil.

While many political figures have admitted to smoking weed, here are some who have admitted to using marijuana while speaking out against its use for others.

Sarah Palin

Photo by Flickr user Gage Skidmore

Sarah Palin is back in the news these days as she is running for a vacant seat in the House of Representatives in these midterm elections. Years prior to this current election cycle, Palin admitted to smoking marijuana. She dismissed the lawsuit by saying she didn’t care but admitted to inhaling (unlike Clinton). Her reasoning for not supporting marijuana legalization when she ran for vice president, even after she smoked herself, was: “She does not support legalization of the drug because she fears the message she is sending to her five children.” would mediate,” was the justification CBS News.

ted cruz

Ted Cruz is used to being accused of hypocrisy at this point in his career. From comments about gun violence to a trip to tropical Mexico when his condition was frozen, this man is no stranger to controversy. Still, his stance on marijuana and his own history with it are downright contradictory.

Referring to his youthful marijuana use, a spokesperson for Cruz blamed his poor judgment as a youth, saying, “As a teenager, he foolishly experimented with marijuana. It was a mistake and he has never tried again since. “Teenagers are often notorious for their lack of judgment, and Sen. Cruz was no exception,” he said The Daily Mail.

RELATED: Big GOP players battle for and against cannabis in 2022

As a politician, Cruz has made no attempts to legalize marijuana in Texas in his nearly 10 years as a Senator.

Indeed acc forbeshe “failed to sponsor any of the bills that would allow states to set their own marijuana policies, from the CARERS Act to the aptly named STATES Act.”

Michael Bloomberg

Photo by Drew Angerer/Staff/Getty Images

Former mayor and presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg has admitted to smoking marijuana but has been very vocal about his views on legalization. Not only did Bloomberg oppose the legalization of recreational marijuana for fear of the ramifications for New York, but it also went so far as to call medical marijuana “one of the biggest hoaxes of all time.” WOR-AM radio show as reported by The New York Post.

New Gingrich

Few politicians have taken a hard line on drugs like marijuana like Newt Gingrich. In fact, he once campaigned for the Drug Importer Death Penalty Act of 1996. If this invoice passed, those convicted of importing drugs (say, just a few ounces of marijuana) could receive life imprisonment or the death penalty if they were repeat offenders. Just when you think the idea of ​​this bill is crazy enough, prepare to be blown away by its history with marijuana.

RELATED: Do Biden’s Views on Weed Make Him a Conservative Now?

“What makes the math even more amazing is that Gingrich is a self-confessed weed smoker himself. When he was young, he said, experimenting with drugs was “a sign that we were living in that era and we were in grad school.” Wrote for Ezra Klien The Washington Post. You could argue that it’s a bit dangerous for a man to want to execute people for smuggling a substance in which he himself participated. Perhaps that’s why he never had a successful presidential run.