Stephen Colbert - Third Monk

Stephen Colbert documented Colorado’s booming cannabis industry in a hilarious segment on “Ganjapreneurs,” as the news media has termed the people making cash from marijuana.

Colorado–or “potsylvania,” as Colbert put it–has made $14 million in the first month that pot became legal in the state and could make up to $600 million a year.

“The market has spoken and the market is toking,” Colbert said. His “bears and balls” segment on pot looked at marijuana infused edibles and the growing ganja tourism industry in the state.

He also mentioned how pot profiteers are having a tough time with finding banks to take their cash. For some reason, Colbert noted, banks are worried about violating the law if they take drug dealers’ money. On the other hand, that’s exactly what HSBC did when Mexican drug cartels used the banks to launder money–and HSBC got off with no criminal penalties.

> Colbert on Colorado: The Market Has Spoken and the Market Is Toking | AlterNet

Public perception of cannabis is changing, it’s time to identify people who have used cannabis and achieved high levels of success or influence.

This list of stoners is 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.

For more public endorsements of cannabis, check out our list of influential people who actively support decriminalization.

	Jon Stewart, The Daily Show Do you know how many movies I wrote when I was high? – The Daily Show
	Bill Gates, Microsoft As for drugs – well, Gates was certainly not unusual there. Marijuana was the pharmaceutical of choice… – Bill Gates Biography
	Lebron James, NBA Superstar James also revealed he and his teammates smoked marijuana one night after getting access to a hotel room in Akron. – ESPN
	George Clooney, Actor The owner of a local cannabis café told reporters George Clooney was no stranger there. – The Weed Blog
	David Letterman, Late Show I went through one period when I smoked a surprising, a really breath-taking, amount of grass almost every night. – Cannabis Culture
	Robert Downey Jr, Actor Robert Downey Jr. said he started smoking weed at age 8. – NBC New York
	Hugh Hefner, Playboy Smoking helped put me in touch with the realm of the senses. – Drug Policy
	Stephen Colbert, The Colbert Report First, [in high school], I smoked a lot of pot…and that’s how I got to know the people ‘half in’ the society of my high school and we waved at each other over the bong. Then I got to know people by making jokes. – SF Chronicle
	Rihanna, Singer Kush rolled, glass full… I prefer the better things! – Daily Mail
	Johnny Depp, Actor I’m not a great pothead or anything like that… but weed is much, much less dangerous than alcohol. – Playboy
	Oliver Stone, Director I went to Vietnam, and I was there for a long time. [Using marijuana] made the difference between staying human or, as Michael Douglas said, becoming a beast. – T he Raw Story
	Bill Maher, Real Time Look, I have never made a secret of the fact that I have tried marijuana… About 50,000 times. – Youtube
	Morgan Freeman, Actor Never give up the ganja. – The Guardian
	Angelina Jolie, Actress The one that has the worst effect for me was pot. I felt silly and giggly – I hate feeling like that. – Metro
	Snopp Dogg, Rapper It makes me feel the way I need to feel. – Esquire
	Matt Damon, Actor The first time I smoked was at home with my mother and step-father. – Weed Quotes
	Barack Obama, President When I was a kid, I inhaled frequently. That was the point. – Youtube