What image pops into your head when you think of someone who smokes cannabis? The stereotypical stoners and pot smokers? I bet most think of someone with a laid-back demeanor, smooth slow-talking voice, and who exudes chill vibes at any time of the day. A-list actor Matthew McConaughey fits this bill to a tee. Considering his breakout role came as a stoner in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, it should come as no surprise that Matthew McConaughey often imbibes in cannabis. Read on to discover more about the life and pot smoking of Matthew McConaughey, a cannabis legend.
Early Life
Matthew McConaughey’s date of birth is November 4th, 1969, and he is from Uvalde, Texas. His mother, Mary Kathleen, was a kindergarten teacher and later became a published author. His father, James Donald McConaughey, was a former college football star who went on to run an oil pipe business. Over the years, McConaughey’s parents divorced, remarried, divorced again, and then re-remarried. Therefore, McConaughey had a turbulent childhood. McConaughey also had two brothers, Patrick and Michael, the latter of whom became a multi-millionaire and starred on the reality show Rooster & Butch on A&E. 
Moreover, McConaughey’s childhood was far from idyllic, saying it was “bloody and ugly and sometimes violent.” Despite beatings from his parents, McConaughey said he never considered the behavior abuse. The McConaugheys familial love trumped any difficult moments they faced.
McConaughey attended high school in Texas but spent a year abroad in Australia, continuing his studies there. He returned to the States for college, attending the University of Texas at Austin. McConaughey graduated with a degree in Radio-Television-Film in 1993 and originally planned on attending law school. However, he realized he had little desire to pursue a legal career and decided acting was more his style.
Breakout as an Actor
In the early 90s, McConaughey got his start acting in local commercials and some music videos. However, his big break came entirely by chance. At a bar with his girlfriend, the bartender informed him a big-time casting director, Don Phillips, was in the establishment. McConaughey went over and introduced himself and ended up getting a part in the film Dazed and Confused.
He played the character Wooderson. Intended to be a bit part, Linklater cast McConaughey because he was a local, which kept the production costs down. However, production ran into a snag because one of the actors, Shawn Andrews, didn’t gel with the rest of the cast. As a result, Linklater increased McConaughey’s role considerably, eventually becoming an essential part of the film. Wooderson was a deadbeat who hung around his old high school haunts in an attempt to recapture the peak of his life. Also, Wooderson was a pot smoker like McConaughey, adding authenticity to the role. The movie’s success was largely due to McConaughey’s portrayal of Wooderson, and it became his breakout role.
After Dazed and Confused, McConaughey quickly got calls to be a part of other films. For the rest of the 1990s, he starred in films such as Angles in the Outfield, Lone Star, A Time to Kill, and Amistad. By the new millennium, McConaughey was a top-tier actor, a far cry from his humble beginnings at the start of the decade. Now, McConaughey began his ascent to superstardom.
Rom-Com Era
The Romantic Comedy is one of the most enduring genres of Hollywood films. Boy meets girl, they fall in love, something comes up, and all is resolved by the film’s end. It’s a tried-and-true formula that has resulted in some of the most profitable and memorable films of all time. In the 2000s, McConaughey starred in several of Hollywood Rom-Coms, accelerating his rise to fame. He starred in two of his most iconic films during this period, How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and The Wedding Planner.
In addition to his financial success with Rom-Coms, People magazine named McConaughey the “Sexiest Man Alive” for 2005, cementing his status as a sex symbol. However, by the end of the decade, McConaughey realized Hollywood typecast him as a Rom-Com actor. He wanted to spread his wings as an actor, so he took a 20-month sabbatical at the height of his fame to search for more thought-provoking work.
McConaughey the Superstar
McConaughey’s move had many people asking, “What is he smoking?” but it ended up paying off big time. In 2013, McConaughey starred in Dallas Buyers Club, earning him the Best Actor award at the Oscars. A year later, he was in the critically acclaimed TV series True Detective, resulting in another award, this one a Critic’s Choice Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series. McConaughey’s gamble had paid off. No longer typecast as a leading man in a Rom-Com, he had become one of Hollywood’s most respected thespians. Today, McConaughey is one of the most recognizable names in Hollywood, and he got there while smoking cannabis along the way.
Matthew McConaughey: Cannabis Legend
It’s unknown when Matthew McConaughey, a cannabis legend, first discovered the plant, but it’s easy to assume that he tried it in high school or college, like many do. His first recorded use of cannabis is on the set of Dazed and Confused. That event makes a lot of sense considering his character, Wooderson, smoked throughout the film. I’m sure he was able to chalk it up to method acting, and it likely played a part in his iconic performance.
Although McConaughey has enjoyed countless adventures with a bit of cannabis, two stories stand above the rest. In 1999, police arrested McConaughey for possession of cannabis-related paraphernalia. His neighbors called the cops due to his noisiness, and when the cops entered the apartment, they saw McConaughey naked on the floor. He was playing the bongos with a bong right next to him. Without a doubt, McConaughey knows how to have a good time when he’s smoking pot. 
Twenty years later, McConaughey was filming The Beach Bum. His co-star was Snoop Dogg, another cannabis legend. In one scene, McConaughey and Snoop’s characters share a joint. McConaughey thought the joint was stuffed with oregano, but Snoop had switched out the fake stuff for some real green. Several joints later, McConaughey was totally fried and was incoherent for the remainder of the day. Snoop said the McConaughey rapped for “13 hours straight” during his marijuana bender. This is undoubtedly the most impressive feat of Matthew McConaughey’s pot-smoking career.
Few actors are as big of a star as Matthew McConaughey, and fewer can match his pot smoking. The next time you see McConaughey on the big screen, remember that his career might be completely different without some good luck and a little green.