LONDON —  California's governor says marijuana is not a drug, a British magazine reported Monday.

Arnold Schwarzenegger told the British edition of GQ magazine that he had not taken drugs. The former bodybuilder and Hollywood star has acknowledged using marijuana in the 1970s and was shown smoking a joint in the 1977 documentary "Pumping Iron."

"That is not a drug. It's a leaf," Schwarzenegger told GQ.

"My drug was pumping iron, trust me," he added.

In an interview for the magazine's December issue, Schwarzenegger refused to condemn politicians who declined to answer questions about drug use.

"What would you rather have? A politician taking stuff and not saying, but making the best decisions and improving things? Or a politician who names all the drugs he or she has taken but makes lousy decisions for the country?" Schwarzenegger was quoted as saying.

"A politician's job is to do what's best for the people and to improve the country, the economy, the environment. Why should I care if a politician takes sleeping pills every night so long as he can do his job?"

In the same interview, Schwarzenegger listed former Prime Minister Tony Blair, who left office in June, as one of the greatest leaders in history, alongside former South African President Nelson Mandela, U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy and Ronald Reagan and ex-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev.

Asked if he would include U.S. President George W. Bush on the list, Schwarzenegger — a Republican — said: "I would say that I was ... very fond of his father. I worked for President Bush Sr. and he was a great man."

"I think his son does some great things and there are some other things I don't agree with."