Schwarzenegger: Drug comments were joke

Arnold Schwarzenegger has claimed that comments about marijuana not being a drug were made jokingly.

The Governor of California said in a magazine interview that he did not consider it a drug, arguing that it was a "leaf".

However, a spokesperson for the star has since claimed that his remarks were taken out of context and should not be taken seriously.

Schwarzenegger's press secretary said: "The governor was doing an interview with the host of America's Got Talent [Piers Morgan], the newest version of the gong show.

"I think it's important to keep that quote in the context of the environment where it was said. Of course the governor understands marijuana is a drug.

"It's like when he goes on Leno or the Daily Show - if you took something like that out of context, it might seem shocking but it was in a silly entertainment context."