Sunday’s discovery of cocaine Successful the West Wing recalls different statesmanlike administrations reckoning with illicit cause usage by either the commandant successful main oregon his unit — and even, connected astatine slightest 1 occasion, connected the Executive Mansion’s grounds.

Tevi Troy, manager of the Presidential Leadership Center astatine the Washington-based Bipartisan Policy Center, told The Post Wednesday that a look backmost done the tenures of caller main executives shows however “attitudes toward drugs person changed importantly implicit the past 75 years.”

“In the 1950s, for example, Dwight Eisenhower was truthful anti-marijuana that helium would not let the White House projectionist to amusement Robert Mitchum movies due to the fact that of Mitchum’s condemnation connected marijuana possession,” Troy said.

“After the Sixties happened, cause civilization began to leak into galore areas wherever it had antecedently been verboten, including the White House.”

Gerald Ford became the archetypal modern commandant successful main to face the dope gyration aft his 23-year-old lad Jack admitted successful an October 1975 interrogation that helium had smoked pot.

“I’ve smoked marijuana earlier and I don’t deliberation that’s truthful exceptional for radical increasing up successful the 1960s,” the younger Ford told the Portland-based Oregonian newspaper, attempting to aerial retired the quality aboriginal to blunt immoderate effect it could person connected his father’s 1976 campaign. 

Things lit up rapidly aft Jimmy Carter defeated Ford, arsenic respective members of the Democrat’s unit openly boasted astir smoking grass.

“Carter property caput Jody Powell was briefing his squad connected White House policies connected cause usage erstwhile helium learned that adjutant David Kaplan had ne'er smoked pot,” Troy recounted. “Powell joked that ‘You’ve ne'er smoked pot? You should beryllium fired for that reason!’”

Both Powell and White House advisor Hamilton Jordan were besides investigated successful 1979 by the FBI for allegedly snorting coke astatine New York City’s famous (and notorious) Studio 54. They denied immoderate wrongdoing and were ne'er indicted.

More famously, state fable Willie Nelson bragged astir firing up “a big, abdominous Austin torpedo” connected the White House extortion precocious successful Carter’s tenure.

In the 2020 documentary, “Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President,” the erstwhile president added the astonishing item that Nelson had shared that associated with 1 of his ain sons.

After Ronald Reagan defeated Carter successful 1980 to usher successful much than a decennary of Republican power astatine 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, cause usage was taken acold much earnestly — with archetypal woman Nancy Reagan spearheading the “Just Say No” campaign.

In the autumn of 1987, Reagan’s Supreme Court information of DC Appeals Court Judge Douglas Ginsburg fell isolated aft reports emerged that Ginsburg had smoked weed a decennary earlier portion an adjunct instrumentality prof astatine Harvard. Ginsburg withdrew his sanction from information and Reagan tapped Anthony Kennedy for the coveted seat.

George H.W. Bush took an arsenic hard enactment aft ascending to the presidency, holding up a wide integrative container of ace cocaine during a televised Oval Office code meant to thrust location its dangers to the American public.

“This is ace cocaine, seized a fewer days agone by cause enforcement agents successful a parkland conscionable crossed the thoroughfare from the White House,” Bush said successful the Sept. 5, 1989, speech connected his administration’s cause policy. “It’s arsenic innocent-looking arsenic candy, but it’s turning our cities into conflict zones.”

On the run way successful 1992, then-Arkansas Gov. Bill Clinton admitted successful a TV interrogation to having puffed reefer portion connected a Rhodes assistance astatine Oxford University.

“When I was successful England, I experimented with marijuana a clip oregon two, and I didn’t similar it, and didn’t inhale and ne'er tried it again,” helium told CBS analogous Marcia Kramer, to the giggles of a mostly disbelieving public.

Like Biden, Slick Willie besides had a household subordinate in occupation with the instrumentality implicit drugs. Clinton’s younger half-brother Roger pleaded blameworthy to cocaine possession and cause trafficking successful 1985 aft his apprehension successful a sting operation. He served much than a twelvemonth successful jail, and got a pardon from his almighty comparative connected Bill’s past time successful office.

“The Clinton medication was softer connected drugs than its predecessors,” Troy said. “Former FBI cause Gary Aldrich maintained successful his [1996] publication ‘Unlimited Access’ that arsenic overmuch arsenic 25% of the Clinton White House unit was ineligible for information clearances due to the fact that of what helium called ‘serious acquisition with important amerciable drugs.’”

Clinton’s successor, George W. Bush, was much discreet astir his cause history.

“It is wide believed that helium smoked cookware and whitethorn person adjacent utilized harder substances,” Troy said. “According to a publication by a Bush household person — the aptly named Doug Wead — Bush has privately admitted to having smoked pot. Publicly, however, helium has refused to sermon the subject, coming up with the formulation that ‘When I was young and stupid, I was young and stupid.’”

Barack Obama freely admitted to an affinity for ganja, arsenic helium and his precocious schoolhouse smoking buddies nicknamed themselves the “Choom Gang,” according to the 2012 biography “Barack Obama: The Story” by Pulitzer Prize-winning Washington Post newsman David Maraniss.

Obama’s ain memoir, “Dreams of My Father,” besides includes a treatment astir having utilized “maybe a small blow” successful his younger years, making him the lone president to confess to having utilized cocaine, according to Troy.

“Many Obama staffers were unfastened astir their erstwhile usage arsenic well,” Troy added. “National information staffer Ben Rhodes initially did not get a information clearance due to the fact that of his marijuana usage, and Alyssa Mastromonaco [who went connected to go lawman White House main of staff] got escaped of each of her cookware aft filling retired the White House information clearance form.”

That latitude whitethorn person haunted immoderate Obama alums who went connected to articulation the Biden administration, which fired astatine slightest 5 staffers for their erstwhile marijuana usage 2 months aft the 46th president took office.

“I find it absurd that, successful 2021, marijuana usage is inactive portion of a information clearance inheritance check,” Tommy Vietor, a erstwhile Obama medication spokesperson, said of the fiasco.  

Vice President Kamala Harris caught flak implicit the ousters, since she had admitted during the 2020 campaign to past marijuana use.

The president’s son, Hunter Biden, entered into a plea statement past period with the Justice Department, which with a judge’s support volition let him to debar jailhouse clip after helium lied astir being addicted to crack cocaine connected a national weapon purchasing form.

Hunter visited his father’s White House days earlier cocaine was recovered Sunday successful a dime-size container wrong a cubby that unit and guests usage successful the West Wing, according to the Secret Service.

Troy, who served arsenic erstwhile lawman caput of Health and Human Services nether President George W. Bush, is besides the writer of respective books connected the presidency, including “Fight House: Rivalries successful the White House from Truman to Trump 2020” and “What Jefferson Read, Ike Watched, and Obama Tweeted: 200 Years of Popular Culture successful the White House.”