Did Albert Einstein Smoke Weed?

Was Einstein A Stoner?

A common stereotype is that cannabis smokers are forgetful, unproductive, slackers, that never live up to their full potential. Honestly, for some cannabis users, that is true. However, in my personal experience, the vast majority of those that enjoy smoking weed are productive members of society.

For example, the genius astrophysicist Carl Sagan was a regular pot smoker. Titans of business also have smoked cannabis. (I.E. Steven Jobs, Elon Musk, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and many others)

Unless you have been brainwashed by Reefer Madness, most would agree that smoking Marihuana will not lead you to a life of despair and unfulfilled dreams. Because of these unfounded stereotypes, I thought it would be fun to examine if Albert Einstein did smoke marijuana. I will first though start this off with Einstein’s brief bio.

Einstein And Weed

Early Life

Albert Einstein was an icon. As a result, you most likely are familiar with him and his history. Therefore, I am only going to do a brief overview of his life. Albert Einstein was born in 1879 in Germany to secular Jewish parents. He was a gifted student and went to school at the Federal Institute of Technology. During college, he was a loner, which did not endear him to his professors. As a result, he could not make any meaningful recommendations from his professors. Therefore, it wasn’t easy for him to get a job after he graduated.

Post College

In 1902, Einstein was hired in his first “real job” out of college as a patent clerk. What is impressive is that during his time as a patent clerk, away from work, four of his papers were published by a prestigious physics journal. One of those papers was his most famous discovery; E=MC2 and the theory of relativity. He left his job as a Patent Clerk to work in Switzerland as a professor of theoretical Physics.

Later In Life

In 1921 Einstein actually became a celebrity after he won the Nobel Prize in Physics. Because of antisemitism, in Germany Albert Einstein moved to the United States in 1933 and worked as Professor in theoretical Physics. Einstein worked at Princeton until his retirement in 1945.

The following are a few interesting facts and accomplishments concerning Einstein

• Patriot-Einsteins renounced his German citizenship in 1933
• Against Nuclear Weapons-Einstein’s was one of the pioneers of atomic energy.
• After the nuclear bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, he became a significant player to stop any use of the atomic bomb.
• NAACP Member-Einstein was Jewish and was subject to severe anti-semitism throughout his life. In fact, he permanently left Germany in 1932 because of the rising tide of antisemitism in 30s Germany. Because of his personal experience with discrimination Einstein was sympathetic to how African Americans were treated in the era of Jim Crow.

Albert Einstein died in 1955 at the age of 76. But, his legacy as one of the most accomplished physicists of all time lives on.

So, in summary, Einstein was no dummy!! But, did he smoke the devil’s lettuce? Be patient! I will get to this below.

Did Albert Einstein Smoke Weed?

No one knows for sure whether or not Albert Einstein smokes weed. There is not any proof of him smoking cannabis. Weed was strictly illegal in the 40s, and the penalties for possession could be quite draconian. So, it is quite likely that a man with the highest I.Q. of his generation would not let the public know that he smoked. However, there are a few indicators that he may have smoked cannabis or, at the very least, supported its use.

Anti-Prohibition

Einstein was very much against Prohibition, which is shown in the following quote :

“The prestige of government has undoubtedly been lowered considerably by the Prohibition law. For nothing is more destructive of respect for the government and the law of the land than passing laws which cannot be enforced”-Albert Einstein, “My First Impression of the U.S.A.”, 1921

Granted, this quote concerns alcohol. Cannabis prohibition though is almost identical to the failed alcohol prohibition. As a result, it would not be a stretch to believe that he would have felt the same way concerning marijuana.

Einsteins Love Of Pipe Smoking

Einstein was well known for being a pipe smoker. One of the reasons that Einstein enjoyed smoking his pipe was that he believed that it helped him ease his anxiety, gave him a fresh way to look at things, and pipes had an overall positive effect on his mental health.

I believe that pipe smoking contributes to a somewhat calm and objective judgment in all human affairs,

-Alber Einstein

This theory that you should explore different levels of consciousness are exhibited in this quote :

No problem can be solved from the same level of consciousness that created it.

-Albert Einstein

The cannabinoid THC alters your consciousness. And may cannabis users feel that weed use enhances their creativity. Because of that, to see things differently, it would not be a stretch to believe that Albert Einstein did smoke weed or take other substances.

Final Thoughts

As you probably have inferred, I cannot confirm, yes or no, whether or not Einstein smoked pot. Einstein was against Prohibition and had views supporting different levels of consciousness to solve problems. So, it would not be a bold assumption that he smoked cannabis. On the other hand, he could have limited his experimentation to just tobacco. One thing for sure, though, is that many scientific geniuses have smoked weed. This article from High Times lists seven famous scientists who were known for their cannabis use. So, maybe we should rethink Reefer Madness After All?

If you are tired of reading about the intellectual Einstein and feel you need to dumb it down. . . try reading this article. Trigger warning-It has no socially redeeming qualities at all!