8. Carl Sagan
It shouldn’t surprise that one of the most creative scientific minds used marijuana regularly. Carl Sagan is best known for his contributions to astronomy, and his belief in extraterrestrial life. He’s also one of our favorite authors who smoked weed.
In addition to publishing hundreds of scientific papers, Sagan authored multiple books about his scientific pursuits.
In addition to helping us better understand our world and worlds beyond it, Sagan was a big believer in marijuana. Sagan was such a fan of the herb that his friend, Dr. Lester Grinspoon, author of Marijuana Reconsidered, included an essay by Sagan in his book.
In addition to describing weed-induced euphoria, Sagan writes, “I see with awful certainty the hypocrisies and posturing of myself and my fellow men.”
Not only did a couple ounces of weed made Sagan a more critical thinker, it made him a more productive writer. Sagan explains, “I found I had written 11 short essays on a wide range of social, political, philosophical and human biological topics.”
Sagan initially kept his identity secret but revealed his love for the herb to High Times in 1999. Two decades after Sagan’s death, we remember his work and his love for the herb.
