Packaged goods giant Kellogg announced today that it would not renew its sponsorship contract with Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps as consequence of his being photographed smoking marijuana. It's a strong statement by the company, particularly in historical context: According to an October 2002 Time/CNN poll, 47% of Americans have smoked marijuana. And users and advocates of the plant reportedly* have included the following, several of whom are admired by Kellogg's customers:
Louisa May Alcott
Jennifer Aniston
Bing Crosby
Laura Bush
The Beatles
Mayor Michael Bloomberg
William F. Buckley, Jr.
Johnny Carson
President Bill Clinton
Johnny Depp
Harrison Ford
Bill Gates
President Andrew Jackson
President Thomas Jefferson**
Steve Jobs
President John Kennedy
Stephen King
Ann Landers
President James Madison
Madonna
John Stuart Mill
President James Monroe
Mozart
Friedrich Nietzsche
Peggy Noonan
President Barack Obama
Sarah Palin
Governor George Pataki
Pablo Picasso
President Franklin Pierce
Brad Pitt
Oliver Sacks
Arnold Schwarzenegger
William Shakespeare
Barbra Streisand
George Soros
President Zachary Taylor
Queen Victoria
President George Washington
John Wayne
...and, according to an anonymous source, at least one other star athlete.
*sources/citations in hyperlinks; **As the links note, there is debate as to the precise nature of the early presidents' usage