Although the alcohol prohibition era has long since come to an end, marijuana prohibition remains intact since its inception in 1932 with the passage of the Marijuana Tax Act.

In a recent interview with The New Yorker, President Obama publicly endorsed the legalization of marijuana and was quoted as saying that marijuana is a less dangerous substance than alcohol.

Once this allegation hit the mainstream media, journalists all over the country covered the story like white on rice and readers couldn't get enough of the novel notion. But Obama's argument is hardly the first pro-pot comment to be uttered by a political V.I.P. In fact, our founding fathers took to touting marijuana since the day the Declaration of Independence was signed...and before that too.

Curious about what other presidents and famous politicos have had to say about this ever-popular plant? Let's take a look at some notable quotables...

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"Make the most of the Indian hemp seed, and sow it everywhere!"

- The Writings Of George Washington written by former U.S. President George Washington (Volume 33), 1794

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"An acre of the best ground for hemp is to be selected and sewn in hemp and be kept for a permanent hemp patch..."

- Thomas Jefferson's Garden Book written by Former U.S. President & Founding FatherThomas Jefferson, 1849

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"Hemp is of first necessity to the wealth and protection of the country."

- Medical Uses Of Marijuana written by Joseph W. Jacob (quoting Former U.S. President & Founding Father Thomas Jefferson)

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''We did not view marijuana as a significant health problem, as it was not ... Nobody dies from marijuana. Marijuana smoking, in fact, if one wants to be honest, is a source of pleasure and amusement to countless millions of people in America, and it continues to be that way.''

- Peter Bourne, Drug Czar under former President Jimmy Carter (when asked his position on medical marijuana)

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"Penalties against possession of a drug should not be more damaging to an individual than the use of the drug itself; and where they are, they should be changed. Nowhere is this more clear than in the laws against the possession of marihuana for private or personal use ... Therefore I support legislation amending Federal law to eliminate all Federal criminal penalties for the possession of up to one ounce [28g] of marihuana."

- Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter in his "Drug Abuse Message to Congress," August 2, 1977

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"In strict medical terms marijuana is far safer than many foods we commonly consume. It is physically impossible to eat enough marijuana to induce death. Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man."

- Francis L. Young, Former Chief Administrative Law Judge at the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) (excerpt from a U.S. Federal court decision on medical marijuana)

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"Congress should definitely consider decriminalizing possession of marijuana. We should concentrate on prosecuting the rapists and burglars who are a menace to society."

- Smoke and Mirrors: The War on Drugs and the Politics of Failure by Dan Baum (quoting Dan Quayle, Former U.S. Representative and Vice President under President George Bush Sr.)

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Readers: if you know of any other quotations that you think should be added to this list or want to weigh in on the weed legalization debate, feel free to let us know in the comment section below.

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