Cocaine & Drug Addiction Among World Leaders

An avalanche of cocaine is fuelling the alpha personality disorder among world leaders.

On the way back from Kyiv, journalists unexpectedly entered the leaders’ cabin on a train heading for Poland. German Chancellor Friedrich Merz hid a spoon used for cocaine, while French President Macron concealed a bag of the white powder. UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer is also seen with the trio.

French media outlet Libération dismissed these claims as “conspiracy theories,” stating there is no evidence to support them, and suggesting the items were a handkerchief and a drink stirrer, respectively.

For sure, they needed to quickly hide the handkerchief and drink stirrer.

“These conspiracy accusations fit with the narrative that Western elites are depraved and approach war unconsciously,” Libération said. “This is clearly not the case.”

(Because he always stirs his glass of water with a drink stirrer … riiiight.)

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova blasted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, calling him an “unbalanced cocaine addict.”

She added that in 2022, she asked a Western ambassador: “How can you supply weapons to the unbalanced drug addict Zelensky, he has been on cocaine for many years?” And she received the answer: “For the EU, this is normal—many heads of Western states use it.”

Ukrainian comedian and president Volodymyr Zelensky has long been suspected of excessive cocaine use. He is not a brave man—he’s just a man with a cocaine problem.

Traces of cocaine were found in the toilets of the German parliament, the Reichstag, in 2000. A German television station tested 28 men’s toilets in the parliament building, and 22 of them tested positive for cocaine.

In 2005, a German television station also conducted a similar investigation at the European Parliament in Brussels, finding cocaine traces in 41 of 46 lavatories tested. This investigation prompted a scandal and raised questions about drug use among members and staff of the European Parliament.

From a report by the Guardian:

Armed with wet wipes, reporters from the television station Sat 1 polished toilet roll dispensers, door handles and other areas in the Brussels building. Almost all the 46 swabs they took were contaminated with cocaine, with 10 samples containing “significant amounts” of the class A drug.

The European parliament has denied a problem of cocaine use among members and staff. But a scientist who analysed the swabs last night urged a thorough inquiry.

The findings in the German parliament were met with skepticism and calls for further investigation. Wolfgang Thierse, the head of the German parliament, called for a full investigation, but rejected the idea that lawmakers were drug users.

“On every floor there are not just parliamentarians, but administrators, journalists and many guests from all over the place. So who is being accused—are we saying that everyone snorts cocaine in this country?”

Similarly, the European Parliament dismissed the findings, claiming that traces of cocaine could be found in most public buildings and that the amounts found did not indicate a significant problem.

More recently, in 2025, traces of amphetamines, ecstasy (MDMA) and cocaine were discovered in the Finnish Parliament's toilet cubicles after samples were taken soon after parliamentary groups held their Christmas parties.

AN AVALANCHE OF COCAINE

“An avalanche of cocaine,” has met Europe, according to Swedish narcotics officer Lennart Karlsson, after Swedish news outlet Aftonbladet did tests inside the parliamentary offices' toilets, there were traces in half of the cases.

“I’m not very surprised, the cocaine is everywhere in society,” said Lennart Karlsson.

In 2013, evidence of cocaine use was found inside toilets at the Houses of Parliament in London, England, including some just yards from MPs’ offices. Traces of the drug were found in nine toilets throughout the Palace Of Westminster, the meeting place of the UK’s political elite. The powder was detected in toilets used by guests at Parliament’s bars, as well as in cubicles a few yards away from MPs’ offices—areas where members of the public are restricted from going.

As Parliament’s toilets are cleaned regularly, the white powder must have been snorted within a few hours of testing, according to reporters from The Sun, who did the testing.

Tory MP Douglas Carswell was interviewed and he retorted: “With decadence comes something rotten. It suggests there is something rotten about the institution itself.”

Canadian Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freebase Freeland shows signs of cocaine and/or amphetamine abuse, frequently twitching, scratching and fidgeting:

Donald Trump shows signs of cocaine use as well. Here’s 45 seconds of chronic sniffing during a speech by Trump:

Like father, like son … just a little pinch between the cheek and gums:

And just to show, I’m an equal opportunity non-partisan blogger, here’s another Father/Son clip from the other side of the fence, for your viewing entertainment:

Horseface New Zealand (former) Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern all itchy and twitchy:

Former Canadian mayor of Toronto Rob Ford, trashed his career after getting caught on film smoking crack:

TRYING TO PROVE WHAT A DOWN BROTHER HE WAS

In his memoir Dreams from My Father, Barack Obama admitted to using cocaine and marijuana during his high school years in Hawaii and occasionally in college.

He wrote:

“I had learned not to care. I blew a few smoke rings, remembering those years. Pot had helped, and booze; maybe a little blow when you could afford it. Not smack, though—Mickey, my potential initiator had been just a little too eager for me to go through with that.”

“It was reflective of the struggles and confusion of a teenage boy. Teenage boys are frequently confused.”

“Junkie. Pothead. That’s where I’d be headed: the final, fatal role of the young would-be black man. Except the highs hadn’t been about that, me trying to prove what a down brother I was. Not by then anyway. I got just the opposite effect, something that could push questions of who I was out of my mind, something that could flatten out the landscape of my heart, blur the edges of my memory. I had discovered that it didn’t make any difference whether you smoked reefer in the white classmate’s sparkling new van, or in the dorm room of some brother you’d met at the gym, or on the beach with a couple of Hawaiian kids who had dropped out of school and now spent most of their time looking for an excuse to brawl.”

UK CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADERSHIP RACE

In the United Kingdom, Sky News reported on the Conservative Party Leadership Race (2019) a list of drug users:

• Michael Gove (Environment Secretary, 1999–2000s): In 2019, during the Conservative Party leadership race, Gove admitted to using cocaine “on several occasions” two decades prior, expressing deep regret. His admission was part of a broader wave of disclosures among candidates, reflecting a shift in UK politics where past drug use was increasingly acknowledged.

• Boris Johnson (Prime Minister, 2019–2022): Johnson, the eventual winner of the 2019 leadership race, made ambiguous comments about cocaine use. In 2005, on Have I Got News for You, he claimed he was “once given cocaine but sneezed,” suggesting it had no effect, and in 2007 told GQ he tried it at university. In 2008, he admitted to trying cannabis at age 19. His lighthearted tone contrasted with the gravity of the issue, sparking criticism.

• Rory Stewart (International Development Secretary, 2000s): Stewart admitted to smoking opium at a wedding in Iran 15 years prior (circa 2004), describing it as a “very stupid mistake” with no effect due to his physical exertion at the time. His candor was framed as a reflection of his global experiences.

• Jeremy Hunt (Foreign Secretary, 1990s): Hunt disclosed in 2019 that he “might have” tried a cannabis lassi while backpacking in India during his youth, minimizing the incident with humor.

• Esther McVey (Work and Pensions Secretary, 1980s–199 opal0s): McVey admitted to smoking cannabis when “much younger,” emphasizing it was a one-off experience.

• Andrea Leadsom (Leader of the House of Commons, 1980s): Leadsom admitted to smoking cannabis at university but stated she never used cocaine or Class A drugs.

• Dominic Raab (Justice Secretary, 1990s): Raab confessed to smoking cannabis as a student, describing it as a mistake and noting he never used harder drugs, citing concerns about cannabis’s link to mental health issues.

• Sajid Javid (Home Secretary, No Use): Javid stated he never used drugs and criticized those who used Class A substances, positioning himself as a hardliner on drug policy.

I HAD A PUFF

Former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted in 2013 to smoking cannabis “five or six times” in his late teens and early 20s, including once as a Member of Parliament in 2010 at a friend’s dinner party. He emphasized transparency, noting that cannabis did not play a significant role in his life.

He said he last smoked marijuana about three years previously, at his house in Montreal, outside on a patio by the pool.

“We had a few good friends over for a dinner party, our kids were at their grandmother’s for the night, and one of our friends lit a joint and passed it around. I had a puff,” he was quoted saying.

Trudeau’s admission came during Canada’s debate over cannabis legalization, which he championed, culminating in the Cannabis Act of 2018. His “openness” aligned with shifting public attitudes, with 228 million global cannabis users reported in 2022.

The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime UNODC World Drug Report 2024 notes a 20% increase in global drug use from 2012 to 2022, with cocaine production reaching a record 2,757 tons in 2022. This surge, driven by increased coca cultivation in Colombia and Peru, has made cocaine more accessible, potentially increasing its prevalence among high-profile individuals.

Ex-Diplomat Deepak Vohra claimed that when Justin Trudeau went to India for the G20 in September 2023, his plane was apparently “full of cocaine.” He further claimed that Trudeau missed the G20 dinner because, “Sniffer dogs had found cocaine in Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s plane. He did not attend a dinner hosted by the President because he was on a high.”

THE NAZIS WERE WASTED

Just to show that excessive drug use among the ruling class is nothing new, here’s an oldie but a goldie:

Adolf Hitler tweaking at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, high on methamphetamines:

Historical records, including accounts from his personal physician Theodor Morell, indicate Hitler was administered cocaine, amphetamines, and other drugs. Cocaine was reportedly used to treat sinus issues and boost energy, while amphetamines were used to counter fatigue. These were prescribed legally at the time, as cocaine was not yet widely criminalized.

According to Norman Ohler’s book Blitzed: Drugs in Nazi Germany, Morell was a brazen opportunist. After serving as a ship’s doctor and then an army medic in the First World War, he went on to become the personal physician of successful athletes, business leaders, and even royalty such as the Shah of Persia and the King of Romania.

Norman Ohler reveals in his book, that the Third Reich was wasted on drugs: cocaine, opiates, and, most of all, methamphetamines, which were consumed by everyone from factory workers to housewives to German soldiers.

DR. FEELGOOD

John F. Kennedy received injections of painkillers and stimulants, including amphetamines, from Dr. Max Jacobson, to manage chronic back pain and other ailments. Jacobson came to be known as “Miracle Max” and “Dr. Feelgood” because he administered highly addictive “vitamin shots” laced with various substances that included amphetamine and methamphetamine.

Some of his patients included Elvis Presley, Marilyn Monroe, Mickey Mantle and Jerry Lewis. Largely unknown to the public until his methods were exposed by The New York Times in 1972, Jacobson was charged with unprofessional conduct and fraud in 1973. He eventually lost his medical license in 1975.

It would be naive to believe world leaders were saints, and it is unsurprising that this brief report is most likely the tip of the iceberg. Powerful and influential people are generally driven overachievers, and they need fuel to keep their egos inflated. Cocaine is the perfect fuel.

According to David Linden, PhD, a neuroscience professor at Johns Hopkins’ School of Medicine who wrote a groundbreaking book, The Compass of Pleasure: How Our Brains Make Fatty Foods, Orgasm, Exercise, Marijuana, Generosity, Vodka, Learning, and Gambling Feel So Good, the traits that make a good CEO, such as risk-taking, strong drive for success, obsession, dedication, novelty-seeking, are precisely what make a drug addict.

He claims that the pleasure derived from success, and in particular from risky or novel business ventures, is borne of the very same brain pathways that make substance use so irresistible to some. “My strong, strong suspicion,” says Linden, “is that what makes some people more likely to rise to top, is same thing that makes them more likely to be addicts.”