Schwarzenegger Says Marijuana is Not a Drug. It's a Leaf

In an interview with GQ magazine, the Hollywood star turned governor of California insisted: "I didn't take any drugs," referring to the period of his life when he was into hardcore body building.

Arnold Schwarzenegger told the British edition of GQ magazine that he had not taken drugs, even though the former bodybuilder has acknowledged using marijuana in the 1970s and was shown smoking a joint in the 1977 documentary "Pumping Iron."

"That is not a drug. It's a leaf," Austrian-born Schwarzenegger said. "My drug was pumping iron, trust me."

We knew we liked the Governator!

Aaron McLear, Schwarzenegger's press secretary, said the governor made the comments in a lighthearted context, noting his interviewer was Piers Morgan, one of the judges on "America's Got Talent." Morgan is a former British newspaper editor.

"The governor was doing an interview with the host of 'America's Got Talent,' the newest version of the gong show," McLear said. "I think it's important to keep that quote in the context of the environment where it was said."

The interview is set to appear in the December issue of British GQ.

Portions of this blog courtesy of The Raw Story and The Independent.