In her book Gather Together, Maya Angelou wrote about "Mary Jane, hash, grass, gauge, weed, pot" and that she "had absolutely no fear of using it."
Born Marguerite Annie Johnson in St. Louis on Apr. 4, 1928, Angelou first smoked marijuana when she was 18 years old. "I inhaled the smoke as casually as if the small brown cigarette I held were the conventional commercial kind," she explained. "I opened my throat and kept my tongue flat so that the smoke found no obstacle in its passage from my lips to my throat.... The food was the best I'd ever tasted. Every morsel was an experience of sheer delight. I lost myself in a haze of sensual pleasure.
"The weed always had an intense and immediate effect," Angelou added. "Before the cigarette was smoked down to roach length, I had to smother my giggles."
The great American poet and author passed away on May 28. She was 86.
For the full story about Angelou's marijuana use, "My, Oh Maya" by Ellen Komp at Tokin Woman, please go here.
