Number of politicans admitting to pot use grows

The list of politicians who’ve admitted to smoking marijuana keeps growing.

Last week, Federal Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau said he smoked the drug as recently as three years ago, while he was an MP. Now, Toronto Mayor Rob Ford and Premier Kathleen Wynne also say they used the drug.

Sean Cowan hit the streets to see if it makes a difference when it comes time to vote.

When asked Wednesday if he had ever smoked pot, Toronto Mayor Ford admitted in passing: “I smoked a lot of it.”

And he’s not alone. Ontario Premier Wynne said: “I have smoked marijuana, but not for the last 35 years.”

And Liberal Leader Trudeau told reporters at a stop in Quebec City that he took a drag from a joint at a dinner party he hosted at his Montreal home. But what about Prime Minister Steven Harper?

“My answer to that is do I seem like I use marijuana? Look, I have answered that question before, and I think as i’ve said, from a very young age, I have been an asthmatic, so smoking anything has been out of the question since the time I was very small.”

Hamilton Mayor Bob Bratina says:  “I have not ever smoked Marijuana. I may have had the opportunity to smoke but for one thing, I can’t inhale smoke, I can’t smoke a cigarette.”

The legalization of marijuana has been debated for years-weather its socially acceptable is another question. We got reaction from the streets of Hamilton:

“I don’t think it’s a big deal, I know a lot of people do it.”

“I think it sets a bad example, and I think they are trying to gain popularity with the youngsters.”

“I don’t think it matters what their job is, it’s a natural stress relief.”

For politicians, admitting to using pot could be strategic. Lawyers believe that it’s better to confess than to have it come out later.

McMaster Associate Professor Peter Graefe said: “I don’t think it’s going to make too much impact at the end of the day. Especially provincially, when you have all three party leaders admitting that they’ve done so. I think most of them bring them out at this time because they don’t want it to come out on the campaign trail and lose a day or two on the campaign talking about that.”