Ontario Conservative Party Leader Tim Hudak admits to smoking pot in university

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak joined a list of high-profile politicians when he admitted on Thursday he was a "normal kid" that experimented with marijuana in his younger days.

Hudak made the admission during a press conference in Toronto in which he pledged his government would create a registry of homes that were previously used as grow-ops and meth labs.

"I was a normal kid, I had a normal upbringing, a normal life in university so I experimented from time to time with marijuana," Hudak told reporters, answering a question about his own drug history.

Despite his past flirtation with cannabis, however, Hudak says he does not support the decriminalization of small amounts of marijuana.

"I think we still need to set a very clear direction that drug use is wrong and these criminal activities need to be taken very seriously," he said.

Hudak's admission comes during the build-up to the Oct. 6 provincial election. The Tory leader is up against Premier Dalton McGuinty, who admitted in 1999 to smoking pot.

McGuinty, who was working the campaign trail at the time, told reporters it was something he was not proud of and that his past extracurricular activities did not set a good example for his children.

Other high-profile politicians that have also admitted to trying a few buds in their youth including staunch conservative and Alaskan Gov. Sarah Palin, former U.S. vice-president Al Gore and former U.S. president Bill Clinton -- although he said he didn't inhale.

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Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak says he smoked dope in his youth. And, he inhaled! Mr. Hudak made the admission on Thursday in response to questions from reporters about his latest campaign pledge to get tough on crime. He said he would set up a registry of homes that are used as grow-ops and meth labs.

“I was wondering if this would come up,” Mr. Hudak said, when asked if he ever inhaled.


“Listen,” he said, “I lived a pretty normal life growing up as a kid. So yes I have.”

When it comes to politicians’ past drug use, Mr. Hudak is in good company.

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty admitted during the 1999 provincial election campaign to having tried pot.

“It is not something to be proud of. It is not a good example for my own four teenage children,'' he said. "I'm embarrassed about it.''

And former U.S. President Bill Clinton admitted during his first White House campaign in 1992 to trying marijuana but he said he did not inhale.

Despite Mr. Hudak's own extra-curricular pursuits during his youth, he said he supports the status quo that makes it a criminal offence to possess small amounts of marijuana.

He then quickly got back to the business at hand, adding that what he did during his own youth does not “excuse” what he is talking about today.

Meth labs and grow-ops pose a serious danger to the health and safety of homebuyers and their families, Mr. Hudak said. And they also threaten their pocketbook. The chemicals alone can cause contamination and mould and the rewiring can lead to fires.

“It’s a sad reality that grow-ops and meth labs are popping up not only in large cities but in small towns,” Mr. Hudak said. “So what do we do about that? We support our police officers to crack down on this crime; make sure that criminals spend time behind bars, not looking in the real estate pages to find that next home for the next lab.”