The Best 420 Quotes of All Time

Marijuana may just be hitting the mainstream now that it’s legal in Colorado and Washington, but some people were speaking out about it for quite some time.

Here’s a list of our favorite 4/20 quotes:

• “When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point.”
  —Barack Obama

• “That is not a drug. It’s a leaf”
  —Arnold Schwarzenegger

• “I know you’re supposed to tell kids not to do drugs, but, kids, do it! Do weed! Don’t do the other stuff, but weed is good”
  —Kevin Smith

• “I have always loved marijuana. It has been a source of joy and comfort to me for many years. And I still think of it as a basic staple of life, along with beer and ice and grapefruits – and millions of Americans agree with me.”
  —Hunter S. Thompson

• “The illegality of cannabis is outrageous, an impediment to full utilization of a drug which helps produce the serenity and insight, sensitivity and fellowship so desperately needed in this increasingly mad and dangerous world.”
  —Carl Sagan

• “We all need something to help us unwind at the end of the day. You might have a glass of wine, or a joint, or a big delicious blob of heroin to silence your silly brainbox of its witterings but there has to be some form of punctuation, or life just seems utterly relentless.”
  —Russell Brand

• “Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against possession of marijuana in private for personal use.”
  —Jimmy Carter

• “Selling pot allowed me to get through college and make enough money to start off in comedy.”
  —Bill Maher

Ted Hesson was formerly the immigration editor at Fusion, covering the issue from Washington, D.C. He also writes about drug laws and (occasionally) baseball. On the side: guitars, urban biking, and fiction.