8 Famous US Presidents & Politicians You Didn’t Know Smoked Or Vaped

These days, smoking is taboo, and even its wannabe replacement, vaping, is coming under attack by health experts. Smoking marijuana can still be a problem in many countries, despite its health benefits, when compared with cigarettes.

A company called Ecigone has run a fun, interesting study into which US presidents and politicians are known for smoking, whether tobacco, vaping, or marijuana. Experts reviewed several decades of public appearances, medical records, memoirs, and on-the-record interviews to reveal the eight US presidents, senators, and representatives whose smoking habits – whether cigarettes, cigars or marijuana – formed part of their public image.

1. Former President Barack Obama — Illinois

Coming in at number one is former President Barack Obama. The former senator (2005-2008), who later became the 44th President, fought a public battle to quit his smoking habit. In Obama’s memoir, A Promised Land (November 2020), the former President explained that the stress of the presidency sometimes led him to smoke “eight or nine or ten cigarettes a day.”

Meanwhile, in September 2013, an open mic captured Obama telling UN Special Rapporteur Maina Kial, with his token sense of humor, “I haven't had a cigarette in probably six years… that's because I'm scared of my wife.”

2. Former Vice President Kamala Harris — California

Former Senator Kamala Harris of California (2017-2021), who later served as Vice President, spoke up on The Breakfast Club radio show on February 11, 2019, about her smoking habit. Kamala admitted to using marijuana while in college. It was after Charlamagne the God asked her if she had ever smoked cannabis, to which she replied, “I have. And I inhaled. I did inhale. It was a long time ago, but yes.”

3. Senator Bernie Sanders — Vermont

Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, in Congress since 1991, admitted to using marijuana during a June 2015 interview with Katie Couric on Yahoo News. “I smoked marijuana twice – didn't quite work for me,” he said. “Because I coughed a lot. It's not my thing, but it is the thing of a whole lot of people.”

4. Senator John McCain — Arizona

The late Senator from Arizona (1987-2018), twice ran for President and was a long-term smoker in his early life. The Mayo Clinic released John McCain's medical records to reporters on May 23, 2008, revealing he had smoked two packs of cigarettes a day for 25 years, until stopping in 1980.

5. Speaker of the House John Boehner — Ohio

Former Speaker of the House (2011-2015) John Boehner was the most prolific smoker in modern Congressional history. Boehner appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on January 23, 2014, where he explained why he would never run for President.

“I smoke cigarettes. And I'm not giving that up to be the President of the United States,” he said. Moreover, in a 2017 Politico Magazine interview with Tim Alberta, Boehner said of his habit: “If I was going to die from smoking cigarettes, I'd already be dead.”

6. Senator Harry Reid — Nevada

The late Nevada Senator (1987-2017), served as Senate Democratic leader for a decade, and came from a family of smokers, while he was not one himself. During the June 2009 Senate floor debate on FDA tobacco regulation, Reid told colleagues: “Everyone in my family smokes.”

In September 2015, after John Boehner announced his resignation, Reid told reporters: “The first meeting I had with John Boehner, I could tell he was nervous, so I said, 'Go ahead and light up,' and he did, and he's been lit every meeting I've gone to.”

7. Representative Tom Cole — Oklahoma

Tom Cole is a Representative from Oklahoma and is currently Chair of the House Appropriations Committee. Cole is known as the most prominent cigar smoker in Congress these days and spoke at the Cigar Association of America events.

The Washington Times reported in April 2026 that Cole was asked to pause his smoking during King Charles III’s joint address to Congress. Cole told the paper, “It's out of respect for the king. Not by order of the king. It's by order of the speaker.”

8. Senator Chris Dodd — Connecticut

Chris Dodd was a Senator from Connecticut (1981-2011) and the chief sponsor of the FDA tobacco regulation bill. He admitted to his own smoking history in June 2009 on the Senate floor, but did eventually give it up. “It is a very addictive product,” Dodd said. “So as a former smoker, I know what this is like and how hard it can be for people to break the habit.”

Read more stories by Anne Sewell here.