Eric Holder, the Attorney General of the United States, has admitted using marijuana while at university.
Claiming he had been advised to characterise his dope-smoking days as "youthful experimentation" when applying for government jobs, Mr Holder said he had felt uncomfortable jailing youngsters for marijuana possession while serving as a judge.
He added that he was "cautiously optimistic" about how the decriminalisation of the drug was proceeding in two states which legalised recreational sales of marijuana nearly a year ago.
Mr Holder attended New York's Colombia University in the 1970s, studying history before staying on for law school.
