Does Michael Phelps still smoke weed?

Michael Phelps was a once-in-a-generational talent who dominated the pool for over a decade. With multiple accolades to his name, Phelps stands today as the most successful athlete in the history of the Olympics and the most successful swimmer in the history of the World Championships.

Celebrity rapper and arguably the world's most popular pot-smoker, Wiz Khalifa, made an appearance on Spotify’s Rap Caviar podcast where he recalled smoking weed with Michael Phelps late last year:

"I just smoked with Michael Phelps. That was pretty cool. And he was super chill ... He just kept walking up to me like, ‘This weed is amazing.’ He was like, ‘I feel like I’m floating!’ And I wanted to make a swimming joke but I was like, I’m just gonna keep that to myself, bro ... That dude’s got like, Aquaman’s lungs, bro. The weed inhale – he’s smoking a joint like in two puffs."

Nobody doubts the lung capacity of the 23-time Olympic gold medalist. With this information in hand, it is possible that Michael Phelps still smokes weed once in a while.

---

Phelps' history with weed

In 2009, Phelps fell into a well of controversy when he was pictured inhaling marijuana using a pipe at a University of South Carolina fraternity party. This led to the swimming phenomenon losing a sponsorship deal.

Kellogg's, the food production company famous for their cereals, announced that they would not be renewing their contract with Phelps. In a statement given by Susanne Norwitz, a spokeswoman for the company, said:

"Michael’s most recent behavior is not consistent with the image of Kellogg's. His contract expires at the end of February, and we have made a decision not to extend his contract. "

The image also led to a three-month suspension being handed out to the Olympian by USA Swimming. In their statement, they said:

“We decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and hero.”

After facing the repercussions, Phelps came out and publicly apologized for his actions through a statement released by his then marketing agency, Octagon:

"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry. I promise my fans and the public it will not happen again."

In 2009, at the age of 23, Phelps had already become the most successful Olympian of all time. Many top-level athletes have been very open about their indulgence in recreational marijuana. This list includes NBA stars Michael Beasley, Carmelo Anthony, and Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. While inhaling smoke may not be ideal for an athlete, there is no denying that there are some benefits to the use of recreational marijuana as seen in the case of medical marijuana.