http://okfuture.net/2007/10/31/schwarzeneg...ana-not-a-drug/
Great pic in the link above of a younger Arnie - before he became The Governator.

The Governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger, recently told an interviewer for the British edition of GQ that marijuana is “not a drug”. When pressed by the interviewer on his well documented use of marijuana in the film documentary Pumping Iron, he said ” That is not a drug. It’s a leaf”. So, you bench press several hundred pounds, squat nearly half a ton, you get tired and you want to unwind . . . the obvious non-drug of choice is marijuana! Alas, when the PR implications of this statement became obvious, we got this from his press secretary:

“The governor was doing an interview with the host of ‘America’s Got Talent,’ the newest version of the gong show,” McLear said. “I think it’s important to keep that quote in the context of the environment where it was said.”

“Of course the governor understands marijuana is a drug. It’s like when he goes on Leno or the Daily Show, if you took something like that out of context, it might seem shocking but it was in a silly entertainment context,” he added.

So, this laissez-faire approach to marijuana in his personal past will most likely not translate into a general relaxation of drug laws in the State of California.


http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5g7Mb5U_...lzlg8AD8SIJRLG0
Schwarzenegger Says Marijuana Not a Drug

LONDON (AP) — California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger says marijuana is not a drug, a British magazine reported Monday. But his spokesman said the governor was joking.

Schwarzenegger told the British edition of GQ magazine that he had not taken drugs, even though the former bodybuilder and Hollywood star has acknowledged using marijuana in the 1970s and was shown smoking a joint in the 1977 documentary "Pumping Iron."

"That is not a drug. It's a leaf," Schwarzenegger told GQ. "My drug was pumping iron, trust me."

Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger's press secretary, said the governor made the comments in a lighthearted context, noting his interviewer was Piers Morgan, one of the judges on "America's Got Talent." Morgan is a former British newspaper editor.

"The governor was doing an interview with the host of 'America's Got Talent,' the newest version of the gong show," McLear said. "I think it's important to keep that quote in the context of the environment where it was said."

"Of course the governor understands marijuana is a drug. It's like when he goes on Leno or the Daily Show, if you took something like that out of context, it might seem shocking but it was in a silly entertainment context," he added.

In the interview for the magazine's December issue, Schwarzenegger refused to condemn politicians who decline to answer questions about drug use.

"What would you rather have? A politician taking stuff and not saying, but making the best decisions and improving things? Or a politician who names all the drugs he or she has taken but makes lousy decisions for the country?" Schwarzenegger was quoted as saying.

"A politician's job is to do what's best for the people and to improve the country, the economy, the environment. Why should I care if a politician takes sleeping pills every night so long as he can do his job?" he added.

In the same interview, Schwarzenegger listed former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who left office in June, as one of the greatest leaders in history, alongside former South African President Nelson Mandela, Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Asked if he would include President Bush on the list, Schwarzenegger — a Republican — said: "I would say that I was ... very fond of his father. I worked for President Bush Sr., and he was a great man."

"I think his son does some great things and there are some other things I don't agree with."

Marijuana©--nature's steroid.

(OK, very off the mark, but it sounds funny)

What I love about this the most is how Arnie's press person tries to pass the whole thing off by diminishing the interviewer's credibility. Very Republican - undermine or destroy the other guy's reputation.

Actually, Piers Morgan is in fact a wanker. He was the Editor of the yucky Brit tabloid The Mirror for many years. However, like a lot of tabloid hacks he does have some real journalism credentials.

That Arnie's people are trying to assert that he was 'tricked' into a light-hearted exchange with the host of the modern day version of The Gong Show is hilarious. It was a legitimate interview for GQ magazine. Nice spin.

I love when the GOP play book has nothing in it and their hands are tied when it gets so bad for them, like Larry Craig.



We in America hate Piers here as well. He's made himself a rep on America's Got Talent as the asshole judge who makes kids cry and family acts pissed because he has a need to be honest with them--and he's so smug about it, too. The articles show how stupid Arnie's spin doctor is.



It's not like he's gonna run for President or anything. He can't, AAMOF.

I'm so glad to hear Piers is thought of as a wanker in the US. Warms the heart.

Piers was forced to resign as Editor of The Mirror when he knowingly printed false photos of abuse and torture at Abu Gharib prison. The actual real abuse and torture was tragic enough but Piers had to go one better.

He then decided to re-invent himself as a freelance commentator on the cult of celebrity - stuff like - how sad it was that talentless people (eg, P, B & LL etc) were held in such high esteem, seemingly, in our society when those with real talent were often not recognized at all.

Are yis getting this at the back???

HE'S A JUDGE ON AMERICA'S GOT TALENT!

He is also a very good friend of Simon Cowell's (the wanker evidence keeps getting stronger and stronger) cos Piers was a showbiz reporter years ago and used to help Simon plug his sad pop acts...

I gotta put Pumping Iron in my Netflix Queue!!

"I em gettin deh feelin auf cummin in deh gym, I em gettin deh feelin auf cummin eht home, I em gettin deh feelin auf cummin backstage venn I pump up, venn I pose en fron auf 5,000 people, I get deh same, soh I'm cummin day und night...""

I hate to be in the cleanup detail in the Governor's mansion in Sacramento.

Here's a MAAD thing I 'heard' about lovely Arnie, when he became The Governator, he adapted the Governor's Mansion (abode - whatever) in Sacramento to accommodate his (cigar) smoking.

As California's anti-public smoking laws are not dissimilar to Ireland's anti-smoking laws the rumour was that he removed part of a roof off an atrium in the building to create an out-door smoking area, therefore lawful, in an government building.

I haven't found anything on this so I'm assuming it's actually a myth. Unless someone knows otherwise..

nice.
kitten, when i was in high school we went to the state capitol for a government class. all state buildings are no-smoking in tennessee... except the capitol. i could hardly breathe in there.
we also watched lobbyists bribing representatives in the rotunda outside the assembly. out in the open.

Can't say much about that, but you would think that, of all people, a BODYBUILDER--especially one who's had heart problems--would avoid stogies at all costs! But, then, he's admitted to using steroids and we see him here toking up, so how good is his health?

I know all gov't bldgs in PA are smoke free, and I would imagine the it's the same in every state gov't, expect maybe NC

I'm surprised that no one brought up another infamous Ahnold quote "Pumping iron is better than sex". His PR person could have blown the marijuana statement to be along the same lines--Ahnold just saying something to rattle people's cages and getting them to thinking about something in a different way.

Can he do that to a State Historic Park? It's not like he lives there - no governor has lived there since 1967. Arnie lives in a hotel near the Capitol when he's in town, but his main home is in Brentwood.

Ahhh, here's the truth about his cigar smoking:

As long as it's outdoors and not in his office, he's in the clear, right?

Well, if he's coming day and night, he doesn't need sex, does he?