DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA: The Marijuana Polcy Project has released its second annual “Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users” list. There has been quite a bit of variation since last year, including several additions and a number of people dropping in rank or off the list entirely.

In order to have qualified for the list, each individual must (1) have tried marijuana at least once, (2) be alive, and (3) be living in the U.S. or be a U.S. citizen. To create the list, we adopted the criteria used by Out Magazine to select their “Power 50” list of LGBT Americans. That means our choices are based on “power to influence cultural and social attitudes, political clout, individual wealth, and a person’s media profile” – not just on popularity or support for marijuana policy reform. Fortunately, many of them have expressed support, but there are some “bad guys” on there, too.

In sum, we’re not concerned with an individual’s popularity, or even whether he or she supports marijuana policy reform. Rather, the 2013 “Top 50 Most Influential Marijuana Users” list is meant to identify people who have used marijuana and achieved high levels of success or influence.

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA

As the President of the United States and commander-in-chief of U.S. armed forces, Barack Obama is arguably the most influential person in the world. Along with being the nation’s first African-American president, he is a Nobel Peace Prize recipient and a best-selling author. He has been recognized twice by Time magazine as “Person of the Year.”

OPRAH WINFREY

Oprah Winfrey has been listed as one of the most influential people in the world by countless publications and news outlets, and she is the only person to be included in every list published by Time magazine. Her multi-award-winning, nationally syndicated TV talk show was the highest-rated program of its kind in history, and her TV network now reaches 83 million American households.

PRESIDENT BILL CLINTON

The 42nd President of the United States and founder of the Clinton Foundation, Bill Clinton has maintained a strong public profile since the end of his second term. He has twice been named Time magazine’s “Man of the Year,” and based on a national survey, he was included in Gallup’s “List of People That Americans Most Widely Admired in the 20th Century.”

ASSOCIATE SUPREME COURT JUSTICE CLARENCE THOMAS

As an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, Clarence Thomas makes decisions that can have a major and lasting impact on the nation. Given his lifetime appointment, he will likely be doing so for years to come. Along with his wife, prominent consultant and political advocate Kathy Grace Ambush, he is among the leading members of the nation’s conservative elite.

STEPHEN COLBERT

With an Emmy Award-winning TV show – which attracts 1.2 million nightly viewers – and a book that reached #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list, it comes as little surprise that Stephen Colbert has twice been named to Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people. Politicians, journalists, and entertainers clamor for the opportunity to appear on The Colbert Report to be on the receiving end of his jokes.

JON STEWART

More than 1.4 million nightly viewers tune in to The Daily Show to hear Jon Stewart provide his take on current events happening across the nation and around the world. He and his writers have won two Peabody Awards and 18 Emmy Awards, he authored a top-selling book, and he was named one of the 100 most influential people by Time magazine.

JAY-Z

Not only is Jay-Z a hip hop artist with 17 Grammy awards and the record for most #1 albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200, he is an entrepreneur with substantial stakes in the entertainment, sports, fashion, and marketing industries. Along with his wife, award-winning singer Beyoncé, he is one of the nation’s biggest trendsetters.

JOHN KERRY

After 28 years in the U.S. Senate, John Kerry took over as Secretary of State for the Obama administration, where he now represents the nation in its dealings with the rest of the world. Kerry was the wealthiest member of the U.S. Senate during his time in office, and he is widely revered as a highly decorated member of the military.

GEORGE SOROS

With a net worth estimated at $20 billion earned, business magnate, investor, and philanthropist George Soros has the ranking of #7 on the 2012 Forbes list of wealthiest Americans. He has donated more than $8 billion to causes related to human rights, public health, and education, including marijuana policy reform efforts, and his foundation spends about $600 million annually on programs in more than 60 countries.

BILL MAHER

Bill Maher is an outspoken comedian, TV host, and author best known for his current program, Real Time, which features guests from the upper echelons of politics, journalism, and entertainment. He has been nominated for 22 Emmy Awards and six Writer’s Guild Awards, and he is ranked #38 on Comedy Central’s 100 greatest stand-up comedians of all-time. He is also a recipient of a Hollywood Walk of Fame star.