Top 13 Celebrity Marijuana Stories of 2014

Celebrities love to talk about marijuana. And smoke it. And wear it. And talk about it some more.

By Steve Bloom Editor of CelebStoner.com

In 2014, Tommy Chong, Willie Nelson, Snoop Dogg, Wiz Khalifa, Sarah Silverman, Bill Maher and Rihanna were all predictably in the marijuana news. Newcomers to the stoner news cycle included Whoopi Goldberg, Susan Sarandon and Wyclef Jean.

Here are the Top 13 CelebStoner Stories of 2014:

1. Tommy Chong Dances with the Stars

Talk about marijuana going mainstream. Tommy Chong used his senior status and suave moves to make it to Week 9 on ABC’s uber-popular dancing competition. Week after week Chong and his partner Peta Murgatroyd picked cool songs and donned snazzy outfits, winning over the judges and the public. The 76-year-old comic may have sustained a few injuries, but he hung in long enough to receive maximum exposure. As far as DWTS, it received a new audience. Next season, Snoop Dogg? read more

2. Miley Cyrus Stays in the Stoner Headlines

There seems to be no stopping Miley Cyrus’ unabashed love affair with weed. She kicked off the year wearing a pot leaf leotard on her Bangerz tour, which sold gold leaf hemp rolling papers for $65 a pack at merch tables. The reigning CelebStoner of the Year received 11 posts at the celeb site, more than any other CelebStoner. Some people think Cyrus is a bad role model for marijuana. All that tongue wagging and butt shaking may be a turn-off for the older crowd, but young stoners are digging her pothead persistence. read more

3. Sarah Silverman Walks the Green Carpet

Never shy about her marijuana use, Sarah Silverman went one step beyond on the Emmy red carpet in August. Asked what was in her clutch by Guiliana Rancic, Silverman pulled out a cartridge-style vape pen. A week later on Jimmy Kimmel Live she told her ex-boyfriend, “I have no shame about it. It’s not a big deal to me. I like to have a little pufferooni at the end of the night.” Which presumably she did after (and during) the Emmys. read more

4. Matthew McConaughey: Alright, Alright, Alright Already

The iconic actor who got his start as a stoner in Dazed and Confused is now an Oscar winner for his role as HIV sufferer and AIDS activist Ron Woodroof in Dallas Buyers Club. Matthew McConaughey also had a big year on TV, pairing with Woody Harrelson in HBO’s critically acclaimed True Detective. His Lincoln car ads have proved to be great fodder for parody. In Ellen DeGeneres’ version, she eats a pot brownie while the hunky actor broods and talks to himself. read more

5. Whoopi Goldberg Reveals She Vapes for Glaucoma

She’s used her lead seat on “The View” to proselytize for pot in the past, but Whoopi Goldberg took a big leap this year when she starting writing a column for the Denver Post’s hot Cannabist site. Though they’ve only published two so far, the first was revealing: Goldberg uses a vape pen she calls “Sippy” to control glaucoma-related headaches. “With each sip comes relief,” she explained. “From pressure, pain, stress, discomfort.” Her follow-up column was critical of New York’s new medical marijuana law, which excludes glaucoma as a condition. read more

6. Welcome to the Stoner Bowl

Super Bowl XLVIII pitted the Seattle Seahawks vs. the Denver Broncos. The locations of both teams did not escape stoner sports fans. Both cities are in the two states that legalized marijuana in 2012. Called variously Stoner Bowl, Weed Bowl and Ganja Bowl, the game was a blowout by the Seahawks, but the buildup was much more interesting. read more

7. Busted Again, Wiz Khalifa Signs Deal with RAW

Wiz Khalifa found himself jailed in Texas in May after TSA at El Paso Airport discovered a gram of weed in his carry-on. A warrant for his arrest was later issued. Khalifa has been busted four times for pot, rivaling Snoop Dogg and Willie Nelson. Undeterred, he signed a sponsorship deal with the rolling paper company that manufactures RAW. “We’re thrilled to collaborate with Wiz,” crowed RAW’s Josh Kesselman, “as he is a key influencer in his industry.” read more
8. Dr. Oz Changes His Tune on Medical Marijuana

Like CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta before him, Fox’s Dr. Mehmet Oz admitted that he has “come around to the belief that marijuana is hugely beneficial when used correctly for medicinal purposes.” Oz said he grew up “thinking that marijuana was something Satan was throwing at Americans and a Communist plot.” But the daytime TV doc still thinks marijuana is addictive. Will this be his next mea culpa? read more

9. Susan Sarandon Has a Munchies Problem

The Oscar-winning actress likes to talk about her high times on drugs in interviews. “The only down side I can think of with weed is the munchies,” she told People. “And I don’t handle them, I munch.” In AARP mag, she offered, “I’m not new to the idea of mushrooms.” About marijuana, Sarandon said: “People don’t get mean on weed, don’t beat up their wives on weed and don’t drive crazy on weed.” To top it off, she showed up at High Times’ 40th Anniversary Party. read more

10. Snoop Dogg Gets Blunted at the White House

It happened last December, Snoop Dogg remembered in a haze of blunt smoke. Seven months later, he related the story to Jimmy Kimmel on his GGN web show – that, during a visit to a bathroom in the White House (he was there for a Kennedy honors show), he lit a blunt to mask the stinky smell in the stall. “I light something to get the aroma right,” Snoop explained. They said, ‘You can light a piece of a napkin.’ I said, ‘I’ll do that.’ And the napkin was this,” he noted pointing to his burning blunt. read more

11. Robert Plant Gives Colbert a Joint

During an interview on The Colbert Report in October, Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant reached into his top pocket, pulled out a joint and handed it the surprised host. “I think it’s one of the accessories of being not quite a knight of the British Empire, but on the way,” the heavy-lunged singer offered. Colbert pocketed the pungent prize, stating: “For the purposes of my lawyer and my network, this is a cigarette.” read more

12. Wyclef Record Songs for Colorado Candidate

Wyclef Jean and Glendale, Colorado Mayor Mike Dunafon became strange budfellows when the rapper recorded a campaign song (“The Trap”) for the gruff gubernatorial hopeful. They met during 4/20 festivities in Denver. Snoop Dogg later added a verse to the track. Wyclef also headlined the High Times Cannabis Cup in Michigan in July. read more

13. Willie Nelson Turns 81! 

In his 81st year, Willie Nelson released two new albums, appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone, hosted his annual Farm Aid concert, backed Wendy Davis for governor of Texas, was interviewed by Bill Maher on Real Time, saw braids he gave Waylon Jennings in 1983 auctioned off and continued to criss-cross the country in his tour bus, performing for thousands of adoring fans. Nelson’s advice to cannabis consumers? “Don’t get high and forget to vote.” read more