Having appeared in some of the most beloved films of the past four decades, including blockbuster classics such as “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” and “Thelma and Louise,” Susan Sarandon needs no real introduction. Throughout her career she’s won accolades and awards ranging from Emmys to Oscars to Golden Globes to the Screen Actors Guild – but like many top-tier Hollywood celebrities, Sarandon is more than simply an actress.
With a longtime passion for humanitarian causes, Sarandon has served as a UNICEF World Ambassador and was awarded the Action Against Hunger Award in 2016 for her work as an advocate in the arenas of hunger and HIV/AIDS. She has been a relentless social and political activist, frequently utilizing her celebrity status to bring attention to diverse issues people are facing around the world. And yes, this activism includes the legalization of Cannabis.
Sarandon has been extremely open about her almost lifelong Cannabis use for decades, saying she started in college and found that it suited her personal preferences more than alcohol. From there, Sarandon famously talked about smoking with David Bowie during their three-year relationship in the ‘80s with Andy Cohen on “Watch What Happens: Live,” and she hasn’t been shy about sharing that she smoked herb before almost every one of her award show acceptance speeches. While speaking in support of Cannabis legalization in Colorado in 2013, she went as far as to tell the Huffington Post: “I would like to see everyone be able to smoke pot.”
Sarandon is one of the few celebrities that speaks about Cannabis like a real person, noting that while it does have medical benefits, recreationally it’s “more of a lifestyle choice, like yoga or meditation.” In a 2015 interview with High Times, she talked about how smoking benefits her lifestyle, saying, “That’s the great thing about smoking weed: If you lead a very, very busy life, for me, it really makes the most of the weekend. It like triples your weekends. If you only have certain windows to get high, it allows you to slow down and really be there … smoking helps you to connect again – to be present and conscious.”
This sort of responsible-but-reasonable approach to the consumption of Cannabis is what will ultimately set us on the mainstream path. Once the taboo is removed, we’ll all enjoy better access and less of a stigma attached to what we all know is a beneficial plant for humanity. Slowly but surely, people in the public eye like Susan Sarandon are helping to turn the tide – and for that, we can all be grateful that we live in the year 2022.
