Four People Who Have Smoked Weed at the White House
Estimated 5-minute read
In November 2014, the citizens of Washington D.C. voted for the decriminalization of marijuana possession, and as of 12:01 am on Thursday, February 26, 2015, the possession of small amounts of marijuana is legal in the District of Columbia - in some circumstances - for adults 21 years of age and older. It made me really curious to know if anyone has ever lit up a blunt or a joint in the White House, where it is still illegal as it is on Federal land. So who are those that are said to have smoked weed in the White House? Some people on this list might surprise you.
Snoop Dogg
Everybody knows of the legendary rapper and marijuana activist Snoop Dogg. Cannabis has always been part of the rapper’s life— in 2012, he even converted into Rastafarianism, a religion that considers cannabis a holy sacrament. He was invited to the White House during the time of the Obama administration to meet the President. To those familiar with his antics, it’s probably not that big of a surprise to see him on this list.
In a 2014 interview, a few months before cannabis was decriminalized in D.C, Snoop Dogg admitted that he smoked weed in a bathroom at the White House. This revelation was made on Snoop Dogg’s regular YouTube show called GGN Hood News. He had Jimmy Kimmel over, and his honored guest had a few questions for the rapper. The exchange went like this.
Kimmel: Have you ever smoked at the White House?
Dogg [smoking a marijuana blunt]: In the bathroom.
Kimmel: You did? In the White House.
Dogg: In the bathroom. Not in the White House — but in the bathroom. Because I said, “May I use the bathroom for a second?” And they said, “What are you going to do? No. 1 or No. 2?” I said, “No. 2.”
Kimmel: Who said this? The first lady?
Dogg: No. The CIA. Or the FBI. The alphabet boys. So I said, “Look, when I do the No. 2, I usually, you know, have a cigarette, or I light something to get the aroma right.” They said, “You know what? You can light a piece of napkin.” I said, “I’ll do that.” And the napkin was this. [shows him the blunt]
Kimmel: This is some story.
You gotta admire Snoop Dogg’s bravery to smoke weed right under the nose of the so-called “the alphabet boys.” However, this has not been the only instance that the rapper has done it. In 2018, Snoop caught a plane and decided to visit the White House to smoke a blunt right in front of it in protest towards then President Donald Trump. The 45th President harbored some negative views towards cannabis, and Snoop Dogg wanted to let him know that he disagreed.
The rapper documented his trip to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and later shared it on Instagram. He posted videos and pictures of him smoking a blunt, unbothered, right at the White House’s gates. Pretty cool, huh?
President John F. Kennedy
Yes, the 35th President of the United States has made this list. Since 2020, the Internet has been filled with claims that the President has smoked marijuana. And believe it or not, there might be some truth to these allegations.
While JFK lived with debilitating chronic illnesses while in office, his recently released medical records ascertain that he was never prescribed any sort of medical cannabis. So, all claims that Kennedy smoked weed for his back pain are unfounded. But there might be a possibility that he engaged in recreational use.
The claims that Kennedy might have occasionally lit up a joint in the White House comes from an anecdote related to Mary Pinchot Meyer. Meyer was one of the President’s rumored mistresses and the ex-wife of a prolific CIA Agent. In 1972, the National Enquirer article quoted James Truitt, an important journalist of the time, where he confirmed the fact that Mary Meyer had had a two-year affair with the 35th President. He also stated that Meyer and Kennedy met up on an April night in 1962 and had smoked marijuana in a bedroom at the White House. The story goes that they smoked three marijuana cigarettes between the two of them and that Meyer even offered the President some cocaine. Truitt maintains that he provided the cannabis to Meyer, and that the woman herself relayed the story to him.
Kennedy definitely had a high tolerance if the story is true, or Truitt gave them some really crappy weed.
Willie Nelson and Chip Carter
Willie Nelson is a very famous country singer, especially in the 70s. The singer had gotten into some trouble with the law back then, getting charged with marijuana possession. However, due to his prolific career, he was still invited once to stay at the White House. In 1988, Nelson published a memoir in which he shared a story. The country singer claimed that he and a companion had gone up to the roof of the White House, by the flagpole on top, and lit up a doobie. It was around the time when Jimmy Carter was President of the Union.
The official story was that it had been a “servant from the White House” that accompanied Nelson to what is arguably the coolest smoking spot in the White House. But in 2020, the true identity of the singer’s smoke buddy was revealed: Chip Carter, the President’s son.
In a 2020 documentary, the story was confirmed by none other than President Carter himself. He said that the servant version of the story was “...not exactly true. It actually was one of my sons.”
Chip Carter then confirms it was him: “…I said, ‘Let’s go upstairs.’ We kept going until we got to the roof, where we leaned against the flagpole at the top of the place and lit one up.” Chip also talks about the beautiful sight in the film, admiring the city’s grid-like design: “If you know Washington, the White House is the hub of the spokes—the way it was designed. Most of the avenues run into the White House. You could sit up and could see all the traffic coming right at you. It’s a nice place up there.”
Disclaimer: This article isn’t an invitation to stroll down Pennsylvania Avenue with a J! It’s illegal to smoke weed in public in Washington, D.C. You can smoke from the comfort of your home with some joints made with HAMP :)
Author: Kite
Metropolitan Police Department (2015) The Facts on DC Marijuana Laws - MPDC. Retrieved from https://mpdc.dc.gov/marijuana
Moyer, J. (2014) Snoop Dogg says he smoked marijuana in the White House — without Obama - Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2014/07/23/snoop-dogg-says-he-smoked-marijuana-in-the-white-house-without-obama/
Macias, A (2015) A story about JFK explains the dangers of smoking weed in the White House - Business Insider. Retrieved from: https://www.businessinsider.com/story-of-a-president-smoking-weed-in-the-white-house-2015-2
Byck, D (2020) Jimmy Carter Talks About His Son Smoking Weed With Willie Nelson on the White House Roof - Washingtonian. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/09/11/jimmy-carter-admits-son-chip-carter-smoked-weed-with-willie-nelson-at-white-house/
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