Elton John has spoken out about the downside of legalizing marijuana in America and Canada.
In an interview with Time magazine, the music icon opened up about his past drug use while voicing his opinions on the legalization of marijuana.
“I maintain that it’s addictive. It leads to other drugs,” John said. “And when you’re stoned — and I’ve been stoned — you don’t think normally. Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.”
Time noted that John has helped several artists recover from addiction since his own sobriety, including serving as Eminem’s sponsor and encouraging Robbie Williams’ first stint in rehab. However, he wasn’t able to help George Michael.
“It’s tough to tell someone that they’re being an a**hole, and it’s tough to hear,” John said. “Eventually, I made the choice to admit that I’m being an a**hole.”
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John was first introduced to cocaine in the mid-’70s by his lover-turned-manager John Reid. Commenting on his perception of marijuana, John admitted it was shaped by his own struggles with drug addiction.
“You make terrible decisions on drugs,” he said. “I wanted love so badly, I’d just take hostages. I’d see someone I liked and spend three or four months together, and then they would resent me because they had nothing in their life apart from me. It really upsets me, thinking back on how many people I probably hurt.”
The interview comes as John battles with losing vision in his right eye due to a reported eye infection. Last month, he shared an update saying that it was affecting his ability to work.
“I unfortunately lost my eyesight in my right eye in July because I had an infection in the south of France. And it’s been four months now since I haven’t been able to see. And my left eye’s not the greatest,” he said during an appearance on “Good Morning America,” according to Variety.
“So, there’s hope and encouragement that it will be OK,” he continued. “But I’m kind of stuck in the moment because I can do something like this [the interview], but going into the studio and recording, I don’t know. Because I can’t see, a lyric for start.”
Without offering too many details, John added, “We’re taking an initiative to try and make it better.”
“I can’t see anything, I can’t read anything, I can’t watch anything,” he said.
