Thank you for checking out MPP's second annual "Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users" list! There has been quite a bit of variation since last year, including several additions and a number of people dropping in rank or off the list entirely.
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. To create the list, we adopted the criteria used by Out Magazine to select their “Power 50” list of LGBT Americans. That means our choices are based on “power to influence cultural and social attitudes, political clout, individual wealth, and a person’s media profile” – not just on popularity or support for marijuana policy reform. Fortunately, many of them have expressed support, but there are some “bad guys” on there, too.
In sum, we're not concerned with an individual's popularity, or even whether he or she supports marijuana policy reform. Rather, the 2013 "Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users" list is meant to identify people who have used marijuana and achieved high levels of success or influence.
John Hickenlooper
31
"'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,' Hickenlooper said." (Source: Media Awareness Project)
Andrew Sullivan
32
"The blogger and commentator Andrew Sullivan was busted in July for possessing a small amount of marijuana within the Cape Cod National Seashore." (Source: Boston Globe)
Susan Sarandon
33
"Cocaine didn't interest me. Not at all. I'm way way back in the early pot…" (Source: LA Times)
Matt Damon
35
“The first time I smoked was at home with my mother and step-father.” (Source: Weed Quotes)
Lincoln Chafee
36
"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." (Source: Providence Journal)
Justin Bieber
38
"Bieber both confirmed that he'd been caught smoking weed and apologized for it." (Source: Huffington Post)
Sarah Palin
39
"I can't claim a Bill Clinton and say that I never inhaled.” (Source: CBS News)
Phil Jackson
40
"In 1975 he wrote “Maverick,” a memoir about his days playing in the NBA. Among other things, Jackson spoke frankly about marijuana use." (Source: Salon)
