Elton John has strong feelings about the legalization of marijuana.
The rock star, who was named Time Magazine Icon of the year spoke to the outlet this week about his legendary career, which for a time was affected by his addiction to drugs and alcohol. John’s experience with addiction led to his strong stance against marijuana use.
“I still maintain that it is addictive,” he said. ‘It leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned – and I’m stoned – you don’t think normally.’
The singer added: “Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the biggest mistakes of all time.”
ELTON JOHN HAS LOST MY SIGHT AFTER A SERIOUS INFECTION
Elton John said that “legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the biggest mistakes of all time.” (Lester Cohen/Getty Images for City of Hope)
Time reported that when John was asked if he had thoughts similar to alcohol, he paused and looked to husband David Furnish, who was also present for the interview, for help answering. Furnish then provided a response “suggesting that while alcohol is part of society, there are studies showing it is harmful.” much less healthy than people think it is.”
In 1974, the same year John released hits like “Bennie and the Jets” and “Candle in the Wind,” he was introduced to cocaine and eventually became addicted.
Elton John says that marijuana “leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned – and I’m stoned – you don’t think straight.” (Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images for Disney)
“Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the biggest mistakes of all time.”
“You make terrible decisions about drugs,” he recalled. “I wanted love so bad, I just took hostages. I saw someone I liked and spent three or four months together, and then they started to hate me because they had nothing in their lives but me. It makes me really upset, when I think back to how many people I probably hurt.”
Bernie Taupin, John’s longtime songwriting partner, also spoke to the outlet, saying, “I was terrified of him. It was absolutely horrible. A lot of the work we did during the time he at its worst wasn’t the best of either of us.”
He added, “I couldn’t creatively invest time in writing material that related to him until he actually found himself, and then it was easier for me to think about it.”
Elton John performs live on “Soul Train” episode 141 on May 17, 1975. The singer has been open about his past addiction to cocaine. (Getty Images)
Do you like what you read? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
It was in 1990 when John got clean, and he has remained sober ever since. In July, he shared an Alcoholics Anonymous chip with the caption, “34 years old clean and sober. My life has never been better.”
“It’s hard to tell someone he’s an asshole, and it’s hard to hear,” he admitted in his interview with Time. “I finally made the choice to admit that I’m an asshole.”
The singer said in July that he has been “clean and sober” for 34 years and that his “life has never been better.” (Getty Images)
Later in the interview, John again addressed sobriety, beginning his statement with, “I’ve never lost the excitement of buying a new record, a new book, a new photo.”
He went on to say that given the choice between never being able to play music again or never being able to listen to it, he would give up playing, saying that listening to music has “kept me going.”
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER
John explained, “I don’t believe in the Biblical God much, but… I have confidence. My higher power has been taking care of me my entire life; he got me through drugs, he got me through depression, he got me through loneliness, and he got me sober. I think he’s been there the whole time. I just didn’t acknowledge him.”
Elton John has two sons, Elijah and Zachary, with husband David Furnish. (Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures)
He and Furnish share two sons, Zachary, born in 2010, and Elijah, born in 2013. He told Time that if he had the chance to give them his talent and the fame that comes with it, he wouldn’t do it.
“I’ve lived an incredible life, but it’s been an amazing life, and it’s been a slog,” he said. “I wouldn’t want so much pressure put on them.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“If people remember that we tried to change the world a little bit, that we were kind, that we tried to help people,” he said, that would be good enough for him. “And then there was the music.”
