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History of Presidential Drug & Alcohol Abuse
Friday, December 21st, 2007
George W. Bush There has been no shortage of controversy when it comes to the younger years of our current president. Described as irresponsible and a risk-taker, Bush has admitted to an excess of alcohol consumption for much of his early life. He was well known for drinking in excess throughout college, and for being the type of drunk who acted out and lost all inhibitions. From his early twenties until the time he was 30, Bush was arrested for disorderly conduct, was seen acting inappropriately in a number of high class social situations, and was arrested for driving drunk near his family’s home in Maine. He subsequently had his license suspended for two years. Bush claims to have quit drinking after waking up with a hangover on his 40th birthday. While Bush maintains claims of his sobriety, there has been recent press accounting for his drinking, and in June of 2007, a photo was taken showing bush drinking a beer at the G8 Summit in Germany. http://www.realchange.org/bushjr.htm#partied Bush Drunk Footage Illegal Drugs: Bush claims he has not used any illegal drugs since 1974. There have been reports that Bush was arrested for cocaine possession, with the records later being expunged. It has been speculated that Bush’s cessation of flying in 1972, as the result of his refusal to take a physical exam, was the result of his fear of a subsequent drug test which may have found him in violation of drug use policies. Bill Clinton During the Clinton years, there was certain controversy over his possible use of Marijuana. While younger, Clinton admitted to using marijuana, although he famously claimed that he “did not inhale.” This type of double-talk revisited him again during the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and Clinton is believed by many to have experimented with not only marijuana but with a number of other illicit substances. http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a37edb5185038.htm Richard Nixon According to a little-publicized report in a recent book chronicling the “secret life” of Richard Nixon, claims were made regarding not only his latent violence and teetering psychosis, but also regarding his use and possible abuse of the drug Dilantin. Dilantin, the brand name of a common antiepileptic known as Phenytoin, slows brain activity. It controls conductivity between brain cells and has been said to have anxiety-controlling and mood-stabilizing effects. Reports from users also claim it produces a strong alcohol-like buzz that can last for days. http://archives.cnn.com/2000/ALLPOLITICS/stories/08/28/nixon.book/index.html John F. Kennedy Although it is not widely discussed, Kennedy was not a healthy man for much of his life. In fact, he was read his last rites two times before his assassination, and was known for having spent much of his life and presidency covering up his significant illnesses. The most severe of which was Addison’s disease, which required him to take constant doses of testosterone. This dosing is well accounted for, and while it was never at the status of abuse, it was believed by some to be the catalyst behind some of his more infamous infidelities and his significant and difficult-to-control libido. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Pinchot_Meyer Presidential Hopefuls: Al Gore While he may currently have achieved a sparkly and glowing aura in the eyes of the nation, Al Gore is rumored by many to have had a somewhat shady past. Including in this haze is his supposed use of drugs during and after his stint in Vietnam and for a period of time after his return from the war. While Gore has publically admitted to smoking pot, he has made claims it was only a “few times.” Former college friends and acquaintances, have a different story to tell, however. According to them, Gore was a significant user of marijuana, and spent a great deal of his time in college smoking pot in his dorm room and watching TV. Friends of Gore, such as John Warnecke, say that Gore got high upwards of three to four times per week. He claimed that Gore liked to get high while listening to the Grateful Dead, and talked about grandiose things like what he would do if he were president. Gore was described by his friends as the sort of stoner who was a mix of melancholy, paranoia and expansiveness. http://www.realchange.org/gore.htm#drugs Dan Quayle Dan Quayle was known to have experimented with a number of illicit drugs during his college years. In his college yearbook at DePauw University, there is one image with a caption “The Trip’ is a colorful psychedelic journey into the wild sights and sounds produced by LSD.” Later on in his career, a convicted drug dealer by the name of Brett Kimberlin told a New York radio station that he had been Quayle’s pot dealer through college. Apparently Quayle bought small quantities of marijuana from the man every month for a period of nearly two years. When he and his wife got married, his dealer gave him a present of some Afghanistan hashish known as “Acapulco Gold.” http://www.realchange.org/quayle.htm#pot John Kerry John Kerry has, in the past, voiced some support for the decriminalization of marijuana and has been quoted as saying “I’ve met plenty of people in my lifetime who’ve used marijuana and who I would not qualify as serious addicts – who use about the same amount as some people drink beer or wine or have a cocktail. I don’t get too excited by any of that.” When asked during a live debate in November 2003 on CNN, Kerry was asked if he had ever smoked marijuana. Honestly, Kerry responded that he had. http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=5900 Barack Obama Recently there has been some controversy surrounding Barack Obama’s admission regarding his drug use during his youth. While he maintains that he has not touched any illegal drugs in at least 20 years, his own biography reveals that he tried a number of illicit substances as a young man. He wrote “I had learned not to care; I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years. Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though.” Obama wrote additionally “Junkie, Pothead, That’s where I’d been headed; the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man.” Eventually, Obama claims, drug use came to hold no appeal, and seemed only a roadblock to his eventual happiness. He writes that he prefers to keep his life as a literal open book, and explains that his drug use, by the time he was 20, was no more than a memory. http://www.mapinc.org/newsnorml/v03/n1786/a06.html Alcoholic Presidents: http://www.doctorzebra.com/prez - Based on the book “The Health of the Presidents.” Ulysses Grant Grover Cleveland Martin Van Buren James Buchanan Franklin Pierce While not widely considered alcoholics, a number of other presidents were known for their fondness of drink. The following are thought to be some of their favorite cocktails. Gin and tonic (Gerald Ford) Use of Cannabis in Early Presidencies While it is certainly debated, there seems to be significant evidence for the use of cannabis by many of our founding fathers. It is unclear just how prevalent smoking of cannabis was during the colonial era, but it is fact that a number of men, including George Washington, were aware of the effects of the drug and likely used it themselves. President George Washington was known to have written a letter with a veiled reference to hashish. He said, “The artificial preparation of hemp, from Silesia, is a real curiosity.” He went on to discuss the dissemination of hemp seeds and the separation of male and female hemp plants in an effort to increase the potency of smoked cannabis. He, along with Thomas Jefferson farmed hemp at one point in their life. Jefferson and Ben Franklin, additionally, were ambassadors to France during the period of time that hashish was in vogue, and they likely partook in these new experiences. According to a researcher at the American Historical Reference Society and consultant for the Smithsonian, Dr. Burke, there is plenty of evidence to suggest a number of our presidents smoked cannabis. According to him, Washington, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, Jackson, Taylor and Pierce all took pleasure from smoking hemp during their presidency. Pierce was even quoted as saying that smoking cannabis was the only positive thing about the Mexican War. Have Your Say: History of Presidential Drug & Alcohol Abuse Please read our posting guidelines before posting. Alternatively you can discuss this report here. Related News
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