Rep. Ilhan Omar, co-chair of the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, told TMZ there are “a lot of people who smoke cannabis in Congress.” Then she flashed a peace sign and walked off.
Somebody in Congress is holding, and Rep. Ilhan Omar isn’t naming names.
The Minnesota Democrat, who co-chairs the Congressional Cannabis Caucus, got stopped by TMZ in Washington on Wednesday and asked whether it was strange that no member of Congress is an openly self-identified stoner. She didn’t take the bait at first, drawing a line between advocacy and use.
“Advocacy for legalizing doesn’t necessarily mean that you are a user, so everybody can be an advocate to legalizing it because we understand that it is not OK for us to spend the billions of dollars we do now in incarcerating people for smoking a joint.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
Then they pressed her. She smiled, laughed, and gave them the line that made the clip travel.
“I think there are a lot of people who smoke cannabis in Congress.”
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)
Two fingers up, peace sign, and she was gone. No names, no committee assignments, no roll call. Just the confirmation that a lot of cannabis enthusiasts already suspected: the Capitol runs on more than coffee and campaign donations.
Rep. Ilhan Omar thinks there’s “a lot of” weed smokers in Congress https://t.co/sMc6FYtYc5 pic.twitter.com/4s1JWH4H56— TMZ (@TMZ) May 13, 2026
The serious point underneath the peace sign
The joke landed, but Omar’s actual argument was about policy. She pushed for nationwide legalization, pointing to the number of states that have already done it, and she gave credit where she didn’t have to: to President Trump, for moving the GOP off its decades-long drug-war reflex.
“I think any …
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Author: Javier Hasse / High Times
