Celebrities Against Weed: Nancy Reagan, Patrick Kennedy and Clint Eastwood's CBD Fight

The best-known famous voices against weed include former First Lady Nancy Reagan, who launched the "Just Say No" anti-drug campaign, and former US congressman Patrick Kennedy, who warned that legalization would create a new "Big Tobacco"-style marijuana industry. Clint Eastwood isn't anti-weed as such, but he took CBD sellers to court for using his name to push their products. The debate over cannabis is always controversial, and it brings out plenty of opinions.

Regular users argue for and against cannabis on social media every day, but when celebrities weigh in, their arguments, for or against, carry a lot more weight. That's partly because more than a few big names don't just support cannabis use but have openly admitted to it.

So this time we're flipping the script and looking at some famous people who have spoken out against marijuana legalization or the cannabis business.

Clint Eastwood

Clint Eastwood isn't known for campaigning against cannabis, but he has filed several lawsuits against CBD retailers that were using his name to market their products. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the complaints were filed in federal court in California.

The legal action grew out of an online scam built around a fake, defamatory and completely made-up article about the actor, used to promote and sell cannabidiol (CBD) products.

According to his representatives, the fake article, titled "Big Pharma In Outrage Over Clint Eastwood's CBD: [CBD Product Name] - Fires Back With This!", prominently featured photos of Eastwood and referenced an invented interview in which he supposedly promoted a CBD line. In reality, they said, Eastwood has no connection to any CBD products and never gave that interview.

The lawsuit also targeted a second issue: the fraudulent use of metadata linking the actor to the brand being sued.

As the complaint put it, by hiding Mr. Eastwood's name in the site's metadata, the defendants had effectively tied his trademark to their online store to lure shoppers and make the public believe he was associated with, or endorsed, their CBD products, when no such association existed.

Patrick Kennedy

Former US congressman Patrick Kennedy opposed marijuana legalization because, in his view, it could give birth to a new "vice" industry in the United States, comparable to Big Tobacco.

In an interview at the time, Kennedy noted that marijuana was already legal (for medical use) in 18 states and warned that before we know it, we'll wake up one day to find we have another tobacco industry, only this one will be called the marijuana industry.

He also sounded the alarm about the effects of cannabis
on young people in particular. We already know what tobacco has done to kids, he argued, and what the alcohol and liquor industry has done; those industries go after kids, and in his view the country didn't need another legalized drug.

Nancy Reagan

When she moved into the White House with her husband, President Ronald Reagan, Nancy Reagan launched a campaign against drugs in general, with a particular focus on cannabis.

It all started in 1982 during a visit to an elementary school in Oakland, California. A young girl raised her hand and asked what she should do if someone offered her drugs. Without missing a beat, the then–First Lady answered: "Just say no." That's all you have to do, she told the kids: just say no, and walk away.

Nancy Reagan's crusade against marijuana helped raise public awareness of the risks of drug use, and recreational use of illegal drugs did drop significantly during the Reagan years.

Still, no direct link was ever established between that drop and the "Just Say No" campaign. Research from the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research found that drug use among young people was already declining over the course of the 1980s.

What are the effects of weed?

Cannabis can bring on acute effects like euphoria, relaxation, altered sensory perception, a bigger appetite (hello, munchies) and reduced motor coordination.

It can also cause unwanted effects like anxiety, panic, paranoia, hallucinations and confusion. Which effects you get depends on the dose, how you consume it, the potency of the product, the setting and your own individual traits.

Cannabidiol (CBD) has become hugely popular in the United States as more states have legalized cannabis.

Unlike THC, CBD is valued for offering therapeutic benefits without intoxication, so people can use it without getting high. In short, the goal is to feel relaxed while staying fully clear-headed.

Two of the main risks of cannabis use

One possible consequence of using cannabis is cognitive impairment: it can affect mental performance, especially executive functions, and lead to problems with memory, attention and processing speed.

Another is cannabis use disorder, a problematic pattern of use that leads to psychological and/or physical dependence. It's marked by strong cravings, trouble controlling use, continuing to use despite negative consequences, prioritizing cannabis over other activities and obligations, rising tolerance and sometimes withdrawal symptoms.