5 Famous News Anchors Who Smoke Weed

• Medical experience often drives advocacy — These cases center on personal or family health experiences rather than recreational use.
• Career transitions are common — News anchors often leave traditional broadcasting to pursue cannabis entrepreneurship or advocacy.
• On-air revelations create impact — Public disclosures during live broadcasts generate significant media attention and policy discussions.
• Regional legal landscapes matter — Anchors in states with medical cannabis programs face different professional risks than those in prohibition states.
• Stigma reduction through credibility — Respected journalists using their platform to discuss cannabis helps normalize medical use.
• Family experiences motivate advocacy — Personal connections to illness often drive the decision to speak publicly about cannabis benefits.
• Professional consequences vary — Some anchors continue careers while others pivot entirely to the cannabis industry.

Former KTVA reporter Charlo Greene turned her stance into a story when she resigned live, then later lit a joint during a HuffPost Live interview to underline her advocacy. The moment made her one of the most visible U.S. TV news figures to openly consume on camera.

Greene’s disclosure helped push cannabis conversations into mainstream news cycles while spotlighting the career risks anchors face. Her case remains a reference point for how personal use can intersect with journalism ethics and employer policy.

KEZI’s former morning anchor acknowledged marijuana use and was fired after a drug test, becoming an outspoken critic of newsroom policies that penalize off-duty consumption in legal states. Her case drew national wire coverage and industry debate.

Maurer’s experience illustrates how corporate rules can outpace state reforms, forcing on-air talent to weigh disclosure against employment risk. It also shows how candid admissions can catalyze post-newsroom advocacy careers. 

The former Fox 2 Detroit anchor has publicly said marijuana eased her MS symptoms, sharing her experience as she left broadcasting and moved into the cannabis space. Her story pairs a journalist’s credibility with a patient’s perspective.

Sarfoh’s disclosure typifies health-driven transparency from veteran anchors: measured, specific, and grounded in lived medical need. It also highlights how medical use narratives can shift audience perceptions of cannabis.

Channel 4’s longtime anchor smoked high-THC “skunk” as part of a televised experiment, later describing an intensely unpleasant experience — a rare, fully documented on-record use by a primetime news figure. The episode helped demystify risks and effects for viewers.

Snow’s participation showed how rigorous, supervised formats can inform public debate without glamorizing consumption. It also underscored the value — and vulnerability — of first-person reporting on drug policy.

As part of the same Channel 4 project, Jennie Bond smoked cannabis on TV during a Home Office–approved trial, candidly describing the effects on air. Her appearance brought a mainstream U.K. journalism voice into a sensitive conversation.

Bond’s segment helped normalize evidence-led coverage by placing a familiar news face inside a controlled, scientific context. For audiences, it framed cannabis use as a subject for reporting, not taboo.

News anchors in states with legal medical or recreational programs can, under state law, legally use cannabis, but federal law still classifies marijuana as a controlled substance. Professional consequences depend on network policies, employment contracts, and whether the employer is subject to federal regulations or drug testing requirements.

We did not find reliable reports of major national network anchors being fired specifically for state-legal cannabis use; policies vary by employer. If you know of a specific case, cite it.

Many news organizations maintain drug testing policies that include cannabis screening despite state legalization, while others have revised their policies. Practices vary significantly by market, ownership, and legal context.

Legalization has led some organizations to adopt more nuanced approaches to cannabis coverage and HR policies, but many traditional broadcast companies maintain conservative approaches due to federal law conflicts, advertiser concerns, and broadcast standards.

Yes. After leaving traditional broadcasting roles, retired journalists often feel more freedom to discuss cannabis experiences, and some become advocates or entrepreneurs, leveraging their media backgrounds in the legal industry.