Barack Obama, John Kerry and David Cameron have all done it.

Heck, even Bill Clinton once confessed: 'I tried it but I didn't inhale' (sure, Bill. Sure)

However, rarely does a politician actually admit outright to smoking cannabis, let alone admit to using family ties to make felony charges go away.

But that's what Justin Trudeau seems to be doing.

A few days ago, the Canadian prime minister attended a town hall and confessed that his late brother, Michel, was once charged with marijuana possession. He also told the audience that his father, the former Canadian prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, was able to use his resources and connections to make the charge 'go away', according to the Guardian.

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The politician told the audience: 'He reached out to his friends in the legal community, got the best possible lawyer and was very confident that he was going to be able to make those charges go away.'

'We were able to do that because we had resources, my dad had a couple of connections, and we were confident that my little brother wasn't going to be saddled with a criminal record for life,' he added.

Rather than boast of his family ties, Trudeau shared the family secret in order to highlight just how unjust the Canadian legal system is in treating all Canadians equally.

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'People from minority communities, marginalised communities, without economic resources, are not going to have that kind of option to go through and clear their name in the justice system,' he said.

'That's one of the fundamental unfairnesses of this current system is that it affects different communities in a different way,' he added.

Trudeau's comments come amid his government's recent legislation application earlier this month to fully legalise marijuana by mid-2018, which would reportedly make Canada the first country in the G7 to do so.

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The legislation has been criticized by some over its lack of amnesty for those with previous marijuana convictions who often struggle to find work, using or travel outside the country, while others call on the government to decriminalise the personal use of marijuana.

As a result, Trudeau has suggested his government will address the issue of making a blanket pardon for those with previous pot charges when the legislation is approved.

'Our focus is on making sure we're changing the legislation to fix what's broken about a system that is hurting Canadians,' he said.

He added: 'And then we'll take steps to look at what we can do for those people who have criminal records for something that would no longer be criminal.'

Wise words, Trudeau.

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Katie O'Malley
Site Director

Katie O'Malley is the Site Director on ELLE UK. On a daily basis you’ll find Katie managing all digital workflow, editing site, video and newsletter content, liaising with commercial and sales teams on new partnerships and deals (eg Nike, Tiffany & Co., Cartier etc), implementing new digital strategies and compiling in-depth data traffic, SEO and ecomm reports. In addition to appearing on the radio and on TV, as well as interviewing everyone from Oprah Winfrey to Rishi Sunak PM, Katie enjoys writing about lifestyle, culture, wellness, fitness, fashion, and more.