This was US president Barack Obama's response when he was offered marijuana

Denver, USA: Obama was on an off-schedule stop in Denver, Colorado, when he was offered the drug which is legal in the state.

Barack Obama managed to laugh off a potentially awkward moment earlier this week when he was asked "do you wanna hit this?" by someone offering him marijuana.

The President was at a bar in Denver, Colorado, when the offer was captured on video and posted on Instagram.

Obama admitted being a member of the "Choom Gang" when he was at high school and adopted various techniques to get high.

Nowadays, however, his stance has changed and he described "bad choices" that he made in the past and he laughed at the man before moving on to shake more hands with a smile on his face.

Writing about Obama's previous drug use, biographer David Maraniss said: "When a joint was making the rounds, he often elbowed his way in, out of turn, shouted 'Intercepted!' and took an extra hit."

As Obama passed through Denver, where recreational marijuana has been legalised, there was a man holding a sign that said "Free weed 4 Obama".

Back at the bar he played pool and met locals including the sister of a soldier who died in Afghanistan.