# Did Willie Nelson really smoke a joint on the white house roof? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145 "2005-12-05T06:57:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Snakebite05](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f05b48/32.png) [@Snakebite05](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snakebite05)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/1 "2005-12-05T06:57:14Z")
Hello all. This might seem really crazy, but a friend of mine is convinced that he saw on TV a thing where it was said that Willie Nelson, during a concert given presumably at/near the White House, somehow sneaked onto the roof & rolled up a fatty. I’m really not convinced by this, but he says it’s true. So, anyone know? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Garfield226](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Garfield226](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garfield226)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/2 "2005-12-05T07:08:55Z")
Whether he did or not, I’m pretty sure there’s no “sneaking” anywhere on the White House grounds… ---
**Author:** ![Martin\_Hyde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/47e85d/32.png) [@Martin\_Hyde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Martin_Hyde)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 7:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/3 "2005-12-05T07:14:12Z")
If he did there’s no way he snuck and did it. The White House roof is guarded at all times by the Secret Service. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 9:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/4 "2005-12-05T09:15:47Z")
The only question is did Willie invite the SS guys over for a blow, or bogart it all to himself. Willie Nelson’s such a great guy. He makes me wish I liked country music. ---
**Author:** ![scm1001](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@scm1001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scm1001)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2005, 10:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/5 "2005-12-05T10:38:32Z")
Its a legend. Willie has never comfirmed or denied it afaik. See [http://www.cleartest.com/testinfo/willie\_nelson.htm](http://www.cleartest.com/testinfo/willie_nelson.htm) for more info on his straight doping ---
**Author:** ![WCStyles](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7cd45c/32.png) [@WCStyles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WCStyles)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/6 "2005-12-06T21:20:03Z")
Chapter 14 of “Willie: An Autobiography” spends about three pages confirming it. Not much ambiguity in the line, “I was smoking dope on the roof of the White House.” ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2005, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/7 "2005-12-06T22:22:17Z")
He may have been coy about confirming the story at one point, but no more. Here is an online [cite](http://www.casinoplayer.com/celeb_QA/Center_Stage/CenterStage_willie.pdf) (warning: PDF): > [@](#): > > [Q] There are a lot of tales about Willie Nelson. When one hears a Willie story—like the time you supposedly smoked a joint on the roof of the White House during the Carter administration—how can we determine the truth from fiction? > > [A] That can be hard. It depends on the myth. That story about me smoking a joint on the roof of the White House is true.What I discovered up there was that it seems that all roads in Washington, D.C., lead to the White House. It was neat up there. ---
**Author:** ![CynicalGabe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3e96dc/32.png) [@CynicalGabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CynicalGabe)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 2:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/8 "2005-12-07T02:12:32Z")
Maybe he shared it with the Secret Service agents manning the Stinger missiles. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/9 "2005-12-07T04:06:29Z")
> [@Martin Hyde](#): > > If he did there’s no way he snuck and did it. The White House roof is guarded at all times by the Secret Service. If it happened, then he probably shared with the Secret Service. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/10 "2005-12-07T04:39:50Z")
Well, if I’m reading the cite correctly, Clinton was the Prez at the time. So…its probably true, and most likely Bubbah was right there. He didn’t inhale though. 😉 -XT ---
**Author:** ![JohnM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/848f3c/32.png) [@JohnM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnM)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/11 "2005-12-07T15:05:54Z")
> [@xtisme](#): > > Well, if I’m reading the cite correctly, Clinton was the Prez at the time. So…its probably true, and most likely Bubbah was right there. He didn’t inhale though. 😉 > > -XT Not to kill your buzz, bit it was the Carter administration. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![An\_Arky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/87869e/32.png) [@An\_Arky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Arky)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/12 "2005-12-07T15:34:43Z")
I read somewhere that he smoked it on the balcony of his room. That would make a hell of a lot more sense than the roof. ---
**Author:** ![2centsworth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/43a26b/32.png) [@2centsworth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2centsworth)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/13 "2005-12-07T16:05:00Z")
If true, Willie got some mighty big balls. I get paraniod in my own bathroom, with the door locked, fan running, lysol spraying, blowing smoke out the window. ---
**Author:** ![XT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xt/32/456_2.png) [@XT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XT)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/14 "2005-12-07T17:13:59Z")
> [@JohnM](#): > > Not to kill your buzz, bit it was the Carter administration. Oh…I thought it said '95. My bad. -XT ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/15 "2005-12-07T17:52:48Z")
> [@Johanna](#): > > The only question is did Willie invite the SS guys over for a blow, or bogart it all to himself. In one of his stories about covering the Nixon campaign, Hunter Thompson mentioned sharing his stash with the Secret Service guys, and admired their coolness in other comments as well. Even if the agents Just Said No, what were they going to do? Arrest an American icon? Or just politely ask him to be discreet? > [@](#): > > Willie Nelson’s such a great guy. He makes me wish I liked country music. He’s done a lot of other things, and “country music” is a pretty broad category now anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Squirt\_One\_Out](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Squirt\_One\_Out](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squirt_One_Out)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/16 "2005-12-07T18:58:09Z")
Smoking pot at the White House isn’t a rare phenomena. A few years back there was a “Legalize Pot” rally. In the park across the street from the White House, less than 100 yards away people were given the okay to smoke weed in public. As long as you didn’t buy/sell it, and just smoked your own you were okay. Afterwards, there was a legalization parade that ran from the White House down a few miles to the mall to watch the fire works. This was obviously for the 4rth of July. I was one of the smokers, and wasn’t molested by authorities then or since. The people who had smoked by the White House regathered on the lawn and continued to smoke. If I had to guestimate, I’d say there were hundreds of us. ---
**Author:** ![Askia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/96bed5/32.png) [@Askia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Askia)\ **Post date:** [December 7, 2005, 10:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/17 "2005-12-07T22:12:29Z")
Gahhh-damn. I hate how my brain automatically takes things to a racial level, but… this… THIS… is truly white man’s America. Gahhh-damn. I feel like… Dave Chappelle… looking at his friend lying to the cop about being high while driving. Gahhh-damn. ---
**Author:** ![Johanna](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johanna/32/8318_2.png) [@Johanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johanna)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2005, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-willie-nelson-really-smoke-a-joint-on-the-white-house-roof/334145/18 "2005-12-08T02:48:07Z")
> [@Askia](#): > > this… THIS… is truly white man’s America. Willie Nelson is Indian, isn’t he?