(Originally published on 07.19.2012)

Morgan Freeman, who is in favor of legalizing marijuana (and one of the best actors to ever exist, IMO), recently gave a Newsweek interview where he discussed his role in Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy and he had this to say about the illegal herb:

"Marijuana! Heavens, oh yeah. It’s just the stupidest law possible, given history. You don’t stop people from doing what they want to do, so forget about making it unlawful. You’re just making criminals out of people who aren’t engaged in criminal activity. And we’re spending zillions of dollars trying to fight a war we can’t win! We could make zillions, just legalize it and tax it like we do liquor. It’s stupid."

Freeman is definitely not the first celebrity to come forward in support of legalization, and plenty of Hollywood's elite have been busted a time or two for smoking some homegrown. While rappers like Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne make no secret about their love for "purple flowers," you might be surprised to learn who else is rolling a blunt or calling for legalization these days.

Whoopi Goldberg admitted to smoking a really good joint before her Oscar win in 1992 for Best Supporting Actress in "Ghost."  While the rest of us were unaware the comedian was in a daze, Goldberg said her mother knew she was high as soon as she walked on stage.

The subject of weed isn't anything new for Whoopi, who came to the defense of Michael Phelps (after a picture was published of the Olympic athlete hitting a bong) and discussed the California proposition to make pot legal on "The View."

Montel Williams left his talk show, "The Montel Williams Show" after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and soon became an outspoken advocate for medical marijuana after he began using it to relieve pain. Williams has testified about the benefits of marijuana use among the chronically ill.

He was arrested in 2011 for having a weed pipe with him as he went through airport security in Wisconsin, and released after paying a fine.

In 2010, Danny Glover, star of the "Lethal Weapon" movies, publically supported California's Prop 19, which called for making weed legal. Glover attended a news conference with other celebs to make his opinion known.

According to the L.A. Times,"Glover called the law criminalizing marijuana "draconian"and said that Latinos and African Americans are the most affected by it because these minorities typically end up in jail when caught with even the smallest amount of the drug."

Joycelyn Elders, MD, was the first black U.S. Surgeon General and has been an advocate of marijuana law reform for years. Elders believes the illegal drug criminalizes minorities and legal substances like alcohol and cigarettes cause more harm. During an interview on CNN in 2010, Elders said, "What I think is horrible about all of this, is that we criminalize young people. And we use so many of our excellent resources ... for things that aren't really causing any problems."

Elders was appointed as Surgeon General during Clinton's administration ... and fired 15 months later for stating masturbation should be discussed in school as part of human sexuality.  The esteemed pediatric doctor now serves on the Marijuana Policy Project advisory board.

(The views contained herein are solely the views of their respective authors, and do not express the views of TV One. TV One does not take responsibility for their content.)