Asked to comment about Phelps, who was photographed smoking a bong, Rebagliati added:"I think Michael Phelps is an incredibly talented athlete and it's a shame the media is choosing to focus and scrutinize one photo taken months ago at a private college party. The guy has 14 Olympic medals.
"It would be a different situation if Phelps were smoking a bong at Disneyland in front of children, or promoting it out in public. That is not what happened.
"I think marijuana is less taboo than it was back in 1998 when my incident occurred. It definitely is not a performance enhancing substance. I personally think it is safer than alcohol and cigarettes."
The way-cool Canadian snowboarder runs R.A.S.T.A. - which stands for Rebagliati Alpine Snowboard Training Academy.