Willie Nelson, Marijuana, and the Elephant in the Room

When Willie Nelson took the stage November 13th at the 2019 CMA Awards with Kacey Musgraves to sing “Rainbow Connection,” a cause for concern went up for the country legend from many. It wasn’t just that he was having a hard time singing. It’s that he was clearly having a hard time breathing. These concerns weren’t a criticism of Willie Nelson personally. At 86-years-old, suffering from breathing issues is not entirely unexpected. Willie has already lived years past the life expectancy of the average human. And even though the performance had some people alarmed for Willie’s heath, it was also so heartfully poignant, it made you appreciate just what kind of gift it has been to live on this earth during the same era as Willie Nelson.
A few days after the CMA Awards performance, Willie took the stage at one of his regular haunts—Billy Bob’s Texas in Fort Worth—and seemed much better. A big portion of why Willie’s rendition of “Rainbow Connection” was so difficult for him is likely because it’s a song he doesn’t regularly perform. But the other reason is that for years Willie Nelson has been suffering from lung issues, prompting him to have a stem cell procedure in 2015, and at times, forcing him to cancel shows.
In a recent interview, the long-time marijuana advocate revealed that he is no longer smoking pot due to his continued breathing issues. The news came as a shock to some, if not many in the marijuana community, and others that see Willie Nelson’s name as synonymous with marijuana. At this point, there may be many of the younger generation who know Willie just as much as the marijuana man as a country music performer.
“I don’t smoke anymore,” Willie Nelson confirmed to KSAT out of San Antonio. “I have abused my lungs quite a bit in the past, so breathing is a little more difficult these days, and I have to be careful. I mistreated myself when I was [young]. I started out smoking cedar bark, and went from that to cigarettes or whatever, and that almost killed me.”
Many have worried that Willie Nelson’s insistence on continuing to perform may be what might do him in now. Willie has said in the past that he wants to die on stage, but he also insists that performing is important for him, and specifically for his lung health. “Singing out there for an hour is a good workout. Your lungs are the biggest muscle you’ve got. So when you’re out there working, you are working out,” Willie says in the new interview.
When Willie Nelson first started advocating for marijuana use, it was illegal everywhere but Amsterdam. Now marijuana is fully legal in 11 U.S. states, decriminalized and approved for medical use in most others, and only still fully illegal in nine states. It’s just a matter of “when,” not “if” marijuana becomes fully legal in the United States, while Canada and other countries have already legalized marijuana nationwide.
Marijuana advocates owe a large part of their inroads against marijuana laws to Willie Nelson. As a universally-beloved character throughout culture, when Willie speaks about the potential health benefits of marijuana for some, how it can help farmers, and how imprisoning people for marijuana use is the wrong approach, people listen. And Willie has put action behind those words, not just by being a well-known pot smoker over the years, but by offering his wrists to be cuffed when pot was found on his bus in 2010, knowing it would do more to help the decriminalization effort than his words alone. He also launched his own independently-owned marijuana company, Willie’s Reserve.
But therein also lies the problem when it comes to talking about Willie’s breathing issues. Willie Nelson has become like a poster boy or mascot for marijuana advocacy, though his lung issues somewhat complicate how people could view that legacy, now and in the future. This is nowhere severe as The Marlboro Man dying from lung cancer, but it’s a sticky situation nonetheless, and one Willie and his business concerns have played coy with over the years.
Willie’s Reserve is not just Willie Nelson’s personal marijuana brand. It’s what his estate and the Willie Nelson franchise hopes to bank roll and carry Willie’s legacy into the future, sort of like the Newman’s Own food brand from actor Paul Newman. This is also one of the reasons for the exorbitant prices for many Willie’s Reserve products, and the price of his merch in general, which has skyrocketed over the last few years, with $50 T-shirts now regularly found at the merch table. The estate is gearing up and provisioning for the inevitable day when Willie is no longer around, which is completely understandable.
After the news broke of Willie going marijuana free, his son and fellow performer Lukas Nelson stepped forward to clarify the situation, posting on Twitter, “There is a lot of articles going around saying my father is no longer smoking weed. It’s almost 2020, how people ingest cannabis has changed. Between vaping, edibles, gummies, drops, etc. I think it’s safe to say Willie will never stop enjoying Mary Jane!”
That specific tweet was later deleted, but Willie’s Reserve remained on the offensive, making sure to let the public know that Willie is not marijuana free, but without directly addressing that he indeed no longer smokes pot. “No pigs in the sky, Willie’s still getting high!! At 86, Willie Nelson demonstrates there’s more than one way to get high,“ one tweet from Willie’s Reserve read. Other tweets and retweets from the company took a similar tone. Willie’s Reserve sells branded marijuana in six states where it has been legalized: California, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, Oregon and Washington. They also sell chocolate edibles, fruit chew edibles and a line of vaporizers. Willie Reserve-branded accessories are sold everywhere, including at Willie Nelson performances.
But underscoring that Willie Nelson still imbibes in marijuana is dodging the bigger issue, and clearly a move of brand security by Willie’s Reserve. Willie was asked a question in an interview, and did what he’s always done in his legendary career: he answered it honestly. Though reams of studies tell us that there are minimal to negligible health issues from smoking marijuana, and for certain ailments it can offer great benefits, there are also studies that have found that long, prolonged marijuana smoking has been shown to cause decreased lung capacity and other breathing issues in certain users, especially ones who have preexisting lung conditions.
In Willie Nelson’s 1988 autobiography with Bud Shrake, Willie Nelson himself says, “There’ been a lot of talk about marijuana being harmless, bit I think it’s a lot more dangerous to the lungs than most dope smokers realize. Especially the strong marijuana that’s around these days. Each year it seems to get a little stronger. The wise course is to not abuse it. Your lungs are not really supposed to breathe anything but oxygen—pure, fresh air.”
This was in 1988, when marijuana was much less stronger than it is today. In his autobiography, Willie also talked about just how much he smoked cigarettes during his younger days. “I smoked three to five packs a day . . . I started smoking so much I couldn’t enjoy a cigarette with my meal because I’d already smoked a pack beforehand. My throat burned and my lungs were sore. I smoked for years after I had stopped enjoying it. I quit smoking a hundred times before the day I finally took a deep inhale and it hurt my lungs so bad I knew at that instant I would never smoke a cigarette again.”
For most smokers, marijuana is not going to lead to health issues, and is a much safer alternative to cigarettes. But for some, there are health factors that should be taken into consideration, especially for people who compromised their lungs early in life with cigarette smoking, have a history with asthma or emphysema, are elderly, or just may have an issue with marijuana smoke or particulates in their lungs in general, not to mention the negative effects many have with paranoia, and the negative effects it can have on brain development for minors. Some who choose to use marijuana, but perhaps have weakened lungs like Willie Nelson, should be persuaded towards other products.
Instead of side-stepping and downplaying Willie Nelson’s breathing issues and why he quit smoking marijuana, Willie’s Reserve and marijuana advocates should be honest about the situation, and do what Willie Nelson has done throughout his career, which has been to advocate for safe and legal marijuana use by speaking about the matter in plain language as opposed to trying to spin what Willie Nelson has said himself, and what close fans have known for many years—Willie Nelson has serious lung problems.
It sometimes feels like Willie Nelson is morphing into the Ronald McDonald of pot. His marijuana use is the common punchline whenever his name is referenced in popular culture, often taking a back seat to his music legacy, or even his work with marijuana advocacy. Willie’s Reserve has been fighting against the corporate control of marijuana in the face of rapid legalization, but it’s also put Willie Nelson out there as the face of marijuana use, which is making him just as much a marketing symbol as a cultural icon for his work in country music and humanitarianism.
During the opening monologue of the 2019 CMA Awards, Willie’s pot use was referenced in a punchline once again, and his marijuana company Willie’s Reserve was mentioned in the joke. Then moments later when Willie performed “Rainbow Connection,” the whole world could see what long, prolonged smoking of marijuana can potentially do to someone’s lungs, especially when they’re compromised from cigarette smoking or disease. This is a truth even Willie Nelson has now fessed up to. Using that experience as a lesson as opposed to brushing it under the rug and continuing the marijuana mantra that smoking pot is safe for all people is the best way to continue the normalization of marijuana in culture. Otherwise, that narrative will be defined by what people see and hear. And with Willie Nelson, that’s not always good.
December 8, 2019 @ 12:24 pm
Didn’t think for a second Willie would stop using.
Glad he is now using in a way that is more beneficial to his health.
December 9, 2019 @ 12:18 am
I believe that should read “less harmful.”
December 8, 2019 @ 12:54 pm
I’m going to be the old fuddy duddy here but what does he have to gain by still getting high at his age? To me people use alcohol or drugs(pot included) to get a high they cant replicate in life. Willie is doing exactly what he wants to be doing with his life at this point. He’s still out touring and making music why does he need to supplement it by getting high? I have the same problem with the mainstream country crowd with alcohol. God forbid you can enjoy anything or get though a Friday night with out the help of alcohol.
December 8, 2019 @ 2:00 pm
I think the older you get, there are more legit uses for marijuana… muscle, bone, and joint pain, glaucoma, migraines. I don’t smoke, just never got into the habit. But, I can totally see me one day putting down the cocaine, bourbon and moonshine for marijuana in my golden years.
December 9, 2019 @ 12:20 am
Did you mean to write that?
December 9, 2019 @ 4:42 pm
Huh?
December 8, 2019 @ 2:26 pm
Why do you give a flying F what Willie or anyone else does, mind your own business old man
December 8, 2019 @ 2:50 pm
Why do you give a flying F what Ben Parks says? Why can’t he express his opinion on a website without being mocked?
Bonus points for thinking being old is an insult, on a story about Willie.
December 8, 2019 @ 3:32 pm
I personally dont give a fuck if he smokes it, but I hate that one of the greatest performers in our genre is like Ronald McDonald of pot like Trigger says. He has so many great songs he has sang or written but the younger generation only knows him as the pot smoking country guy and not the guy that wrote Crazy for Patsy and so many other greats.
December 10, 2019 @ 9:23 pm
At least they know him I suppose.
December 8, 2019 @ 3:38 pm
You need to learn to respect your elders you young whipper-snapper
December 8, 2019 @ 5:19 pm
I’m probably older than you asshat but again mind your own fucking business old man
December 9, 2019 @ 12:23 am
Language!
December 9, 2019 @ 12:38 am
Do you wake up angry?
December 10, 2019 @ 9:34 pm
“I’m probably older than you, old man.”
Insult of the year, right there.
December 11, 2019 @ 10:57 am
You’re telling him to mind his own business in the comments section of an article not written by him. Trigger wrote the article. Are you not concerned about Trigger minding his own business? This is news, as it pertains to country music, and as country music fans many people will have something to say about it. Will you be so ready to tell all of them to mind their own business? And if Willie’s business is none of your own, why did you even read the article?
December 8, 2019 @ 6:55 pm
Many, many people like to end the day with a glass of alcohol. It’s relaxing. Alcohol is also a social lubricant – it can help you have a good time if you’re feeling stressed or anxious, or if you’re not the naturally outgoing type. In this way, marijuana is similar. For many people, it’s a relaxing way to wind down and shift your perspective or mood, whether that be on a weeknight after work, or a weekend while spending time with friends or family. Plus it’s approximately as addictive as your favorite food, and does minimal damage to your body/mind, unlike alcohol and most other mind-altering substances. You may not have any interest in altering your consciousness with a substance, but that makes you an outlier.
December 9, 2019 @ 1:58 am
Are you a god damn NARC mate?!
December 9, 2019 @ 4:20 am
When I get off work in the morning, I like to smoke a bowl. I don’t usually drink alcohol. It just makes me feel relaxed, and helps me to wind down from what can often be fast-paced stressful night. I am 65.
December 9, 2019 @ 7:46 am
It’s not high he’s getting.. what he gets is courage to live in this screwed up world and some help to say the shortest prayer I know……….fuck it. It is simply spiritual medicine. Ever hear about Rastaman?
December 9, 2019 @ 9:32 am
Because at his age, cannabis is a good solution for those of us who don’t want to take opioids. He may quit smoking, but that doesn’t mean he won’t still use cannabis. At 75, I’m right behind Willie, headed toward the exit door (as we all are) and I use cannabis daily instead of the opioids my doctors have recommended. And, btw, booze is everywhere, not just the “country crowd”.
December 8, 2019 @ 1:15 pm
I went through this with Paula Nelson, just because Willie wasn’t real familiar with the song ‘Rainbow Connection” that wouldn’t have any bearing on his ability to breathe!!! It wasn’t that he was struggling to find the lyrics, he was struggling to find the breath to sing the lyrics. This notion that that was a “big portion” of the problem is a joke! She even went so far as to say he didn’t have a breathing problem, it was just his age. I don’t understand why everyone is in denial about Willie’s health.
December 8, 2019 @ 1:53 pm
“I don’t smoke anymore,” Willie Nelson confirmed to KSAT out of San Antonio. “I have abused my lungs quite a bit in the past, so breathing is a little more difficult these days, and I have to be careful. I mistreated myself when I was [young]. I started out smoking cedar bark, and went from that to cigarettes or whatever, and that almost killed me.”
No where in that quote does he say he doesn’t smoke marijuana. He calls out cedar bark and cigarettes, but not marijuana or any of its monikers. Maybe in context of the larger conversation, the implication of marijuana is implied, but by itself it’s very similar to what he wrote in his 2015 book, “It’s a Long Story: My Life,” when he said he hadn’t burned papers in years, just vapes marijuana; years of cigarettes, cedar bark, and burning rolled joints has done irreversible damage to his lungs.
At first, I thought this was the media circulating an out of context quote. But, it has been interesting to see how the Willie Reserve has reacted to Nelson’s story … like a good PR campaign.
In the end, I’ve seen more quotes from Willie crediting marijuana for reaching 86, than faulting it for his lung damage.
December 8, 2019 @ 2:52 pm
When the news first broke about this earlier in the week, that was my same reaction. Where did Willie say that he’s no longer smoking marijuana? But of course it made for a juicy story, so dozens and dozens of outlets parroted out the same story without any context or clarification.
But when Lukas Nelson and Willie’s Reserve addressed it, they basically confirmed it. And folks who’ve been around Willie have known this for years. They just want to keep this mystique around Willie as this guy smoking pot all the time because it’s good for the brand. Willie doesn’t give a shit. He just says what he thinks.
I’ve seen multiple quote from Willie warning about long-term marijuana use hurting your lungs. There was a big story a while back when he started vaporizing for this very reason.
December 8, 2019 @ 9:50 pm
As someone who barely ever imbibes pot, because weed costs way too much and I love alcohol more…people have been vaping rather than smoking for years,
December 8, 2019 @ 2:18 pm
I’m not here to preach, and people can do what they want, as long as it doesn’t effect others, IMO. I’ve done my share of smoking weed and some harder stuff. To each their own but in the end I found it boring. It fascinates me that so many people think it’s edgy and worth making part of their identity. In my own personal experience, life became more interesting when I didn’t use things like that as a crutch to feel better or have fun. Willie is Willie. Genius and beloved. He did become a bit of caricature though.
December 8, 2019 @ 2:34 pm
It will always be about the music for me. I’ve smoked the odd joint in the past, but not anymore as it doesn’t do much for me – I prefer that old whiskey river, personally.
Willie may be the face of cannabis to people who care about such things, but his contributions to country music are what really matter. I mean, this guy wrote Night Life, Crazy, Hello Walls… He’s made some of the best country albums ever, was a Highwayman. If Loretta Lynn’s the queen of country (and she is), Willie’s certainly the king.
December 8, 2019 @ 2:42 pm
Your making something out of nothing. He is 86 years old for fuck’s sake. You will probably be dead by then you dip shit!!
December 8, 2019 @ 3:18 pm
There are a lot of wrinkles in this and I’m not sure the facts are as crystal clear as you say. He used to smoke 3-4 packs of cigarettes a day and says he smoked all kinds of other weird stuff as well. I’m not sure when he quit cigarettes but it’s not unusual for damage from decades back to catch up with people when they get older.
I’m not by any means writing off the possibility of mj smoke related damage. I just don’t know that’s it’s as solid a connection as it would be with other things like tobacco smoke, chemicals, or other work place contaminates.
On the other hand, of course, the association is going to go farther than the facts anyhow so there’s that. But the other elephant is that he’s in his 80’s and it would be very unusual for things not to be going wrong.
December 8, 2019 @ 5:03 pm
I don’t think the facts are crystal clear at all. I think they’re pretty confusing. The media ran with the story that Willie Nelson is no longer smoking pot anymore, when that statement at least deserved clarification. The Willie camp seems to be saying, “Nothing to see here!” when that doesn’t seem to be exactly true. I write about country music for a living, and can’t tell you the in’s and out’s of studies of marijuana and the affect on lungs, aside from saying it’s by far and away safer than cigarettes, but it’s probably also not good if your lungs are compromised in some capacity.
All I’m saying is when you have the national spokesman for pot taking the stage in front of 11 million viewers and struggling to breathe, it’s probably not a good look. Being honest about it is what’s best.
December 9, 2019 @ 12:54 am
Is it possible he was high and experiencing anxiety, not shortness of breath? Extreme self awareness befalls some weed smokers causing hesitancy or even inability to be as one can be. One imagines Willie to be capable of managing his high after all this time, but is it possible he got hold of some of that oh wee like Martin Lawrence did? The lights came up, somebody said rolling(and he had been), Kacey Musgraves is standing there being Kacey Musgraves and “oh, s..t! This is happening now.” That’s a lot. I love Willie. Got a picture of him in Myrtle Beach from the 90’s with a bra someone threw on stage hanging on Trigger’s headstock. That has nothing to do with this, but it happened. Could have been one of those nights when after the lights went down and he regained his composure he laughed about it, got on the bus and took another couple of hits and went on about his business. Fun times!
December 8, 2019 @ 6:30 pm
Dr’s and “smart people” should perform a gene study on him- and me. He’s 86 and still kicking fairly well- I’ll turn 72 later this month and I’ve been smoking cigarettes (regularly) since I was 17- washed parts bare handed in trichloroethylene and freon 22, breathed asbestos dust, painted with red and white lead and zinc chromate paint, ate sandwiches with grease on my hands, siphoned unleaded gas, used gasoline for washing parts, etc- it’s all about genetic make up- i just wish my genes had been blessed with his talent 😉
December 9, 2019 @ 8:27 am
I’d be hesitant to play the genetics card. I would love information on why some people can drink and smoke their entire lives while others cant. In my own family, my grandmother is in her late 70s, smokes and drinks whisky daily, and still works part-time (she used to also grow cannabis in her garden); whereas, my father (her son) passed away at 44 from alcohol abuse. I’d say the daily consumption was about equal. Just don’t think that because one family member can get away with something, another one will be just as fine.
December 8, 2019 @ 6:56 pm
“Find what you love, and let it kill you.”
– Kinky Friedman
December 8, 2019 @ 7:19 pm
Willie, when you decide you want a Respiratory Therapist to step up & help ya, I’m here for you my friend 👍❤👍
Your the BEST…Always have been,ALWAYS will be!👍❤👍
December 8, 2019 @ 7:24 pm
His daughter Paula has gone on record via her Facebook page that he simply stopped smoking it but still enjoys it.
December 8, 2019 @ 9:50 pm
He’s 86 years old. Older than most people ever get. The average age of death in the US is 78 yrs. My grandparents never made it to that age and never touched a drug. He’ll likely live a few more too. Seems like a pretty positive story to me. Try finding out what he’s doing right and report on that.
December 9, 2019 @ 10:34 am
Just to point out, because multiple people have referenced Willie’s age in their comments, I said in the first paragraph myself:
“At 86-years-old, suffering from breathing issues is not entirely unexpected. Willie has already lived years past the life expectancy of the average human.
So that fact doesn’t escape me. I referenced it myself to set the table for the deeper discussion, which doesn’t really have to do with how bad Willie’s health is. With all the living he’s done, we should be glad he’s still around.
December 8, 2019 @ 10:21 pm
Clearly he is still consuming. I can say I don’t shoot dope anymore but still snort it. There are many methods of consumption. Hell there are weed enemas you can shove up your ass for a buzz. Vaping doesn’t count as smoking so maybe he is saying he doesn’t smoke bongs or backwoods anymore as hes switched to volcano bags. Finally he is 86 so seems like normal wear and tear for someone that age.
December 9, 2019 @ 12:58 am
Willie just asked, “What?”
December 8, 2019 @ 10:26 pm
Willie ,of course he WILL, yes he will, always be one of God’s gifts to music. At one time drinking a beer was reason enough to land you in prison.Prohibition was insane as much as anti pot laws. Moderation and taking care of your body. The temple of your soul, is the key to longevity and happiness. The Maker of us all, guides us towards our final destination.Willie Nelson has impacted millions of lives in a very positive way. Thank you Lord for Blessing us with Willie Nelson.
December 8, 2019 @ 10:54 pm
If Willie wants to consume weed its his own business and (nobody elses) so back off & leave the old guy alone , hope he lives to over 110
December 8, 2019 @ 11:55 pm
Yeah, the problem is Willie is in the weed business. Nobody’s digging into his private life. His company goes out of their way to let everyone know he uses weed products.
And nobody is attacking Willie. He seems to be the only one telling the truth in this matter.
December 9, 2019 @ 3:19 am
It’s his commercial business only where it is a legal product. Criticizing him for having his own brand of a legal product because he is a role model or celebrity because of his music seems odd in a industry where stars have their own alcohol brands and/or sponsorships.
He acknowledges that lighting something on fire and inhaling it probably isn’t good for the lungs. Vaping is under scrutiny now, largely because of some defective products and a marketing and product strategy attracting youth to begin consuming tobacco via vaping. But, edibles made with Cannabis are a legal option in some States.
Willie has stated his view that one of the biggest threats to health – one of the biggest killers – is stress. For him, Cannabis relieves or eliminates stress. He seems to enjoy his life and love his job. That’s a lot more than most of us can say – at any age.
The story is simple: Nelson decides to stop smoking entirely. Nelson seems to have trouble breathing during…appearance, leading to speculation about cause….Family member notes that this announcement doesn’t necessarily mean that Nelson will stop using cannabis, as it is available via delivery means other than smoking, including products under Willie’s own brand, available where legal.
December 9, 2019 @ 5:21 am
I sure hope that Willie’s legacy will be his music, not his weed smoking. You’ve seen similar things happen to other artists. Look at Rick James, a soul/funk genius now better known for a Dave Chappelle sketch. Or old Hank, often better remember for the bottle than work.
I also hope this business of over-charging for music and merch is HIS decision, not that of his trust/estate. Zappa’s estate did this after he passed – CDs and shirts priced so high, a generation of fans missed out on his work.
I know you gotta keep that goose laying the golden eggs but try and take into account some good husbandry or the animal!
December 9, 2019 @ 6:50 am
I remember Elvis for his singing- I remember Hank for his singing- I’ll remember Willie as the epitome of the Wandering Minstrel, and advocate for his picture being in the encyclopedia for that- that he publicly advocates for something is immaterial- he’s a Beto Oroarke fan too- but, I don’t hold it against him though I don’t think that’s as smart as his song writing would lead us to believe he is- people will remember him for what they want to remember him for- all the stories are anecdotal to his legacy of being a musical icon- from Texas, btw 🙂
December 9, 2019 @ 8:49 am
Folks, he’s 86 years old and abused his lungs with, of all things, cedar bark and cigarettes. Cedar bark dust will damage your lungs without even smoking it and we all know by now the damage cigarettes do.
He’s old and wants to do what he can to keep singing. Let’s not make this something it isn’t.
December 9, 2019 @ 10:06 am
Most 86 year olds are dead. Unless Willie gets hit by a car or something, at this point, he’s going to die of old age – regardless of what anyone tries to say killed him.
December 9, 2019 @ 11:10 am
I understand what you mean, but to be accurate, old age is not a cause of death. Old age is one’s life condition/circumstance when whatever physiological defect/dysfunction is severe enough to cause failure of the entire system, i.e. heart stops, lungs fail, kidneys fail, etc. Don’t worry. Be happy.
December 9, 2019 @ 12:29 pm
Willie is a real living legend, but yesterday i happened to hear his take on “the scientist” by Coldplay. Man, that was awful!
December 9, 2019 @ 4:48 pm
That was recorded for a Farm Aid promotion. In its context and the video, it’s pretty cool …
https://youtu.be/d0iyKl_KgYA
December 9, 2019 @ 12:29 pm
I seen him just a few days after the CMAs in Lake Charles and I thought he sounded really good.
December 9, 2019 @ 3:11 pm
“When Willie Nelson first started advocating for marijuana use, it was illegal everywhere but Amsterdam.”
It’s still illegal in Amsterdam – they just have a policy of tolerance – gedoogbeleid – where they don’t enforce the laws against recreational users.
December 10, 2019 @ 9:06 am
I’m curious, so why/how are there so many bars and clubs there (“coffee shops” I think they’re called, as a euphemism) specifically geared toward growing (or at least processing), selling, and serving customers marijuana products?
When I went there, literally every place sold various forms of marijuana (joints, edibles, vaping options) and customers just hang out in these places smoking weed for hours. I literally bought a pre-rolled joint, packaged in a little bubble card like it was candy, at a bar and sat on a couch there to smoke it.
I assumed there had to be laws on the books (ie. legality) there governing what seems to be a huge marijuana tourist economy, not to mention other drugs like psychedelics.
December 9, 2019 @ 3:25 pm
I appreciate Willie’s advocacy, and I personally believe people should be able to use and enjoy substances at their own leisure and pleasure so long as it’s not hurting others. Enforcement and sentencing for small drug crimes is also ridiculously out of order, and needs to be reformed.
However, substance abuse is real and like Trigger says, it’s a disservice to sweep this under the rug and pretend it’s not an issue. Smoking anything is not natural, and I say that as a previous tobacco smoker and current vaper (something I’m also trying to quit). That stuff ain’t good for you. I personally have a real distaste for marijuana. I can’t stand the affect it has on me (despite having had good experiences with psychedelics).
December 9, 2019 @ 6:02 pm
Yeah, the whole “weed smokin’ Willie” thing is pretty reductive to say the least, but I can’t fault him for cashing in while he has the opportunity either.
It’s like when the “lifestyle” finally caught up with Lemmy from Motorhead. For a long time it appeared he was indestructible, then suddenly he wasn’t. Willie is 86, lots of 86 year olds can’t even eat solid food, much less spark up giant joints. IMO he’s way ahead in the game.
November 20, 2020 @ 12:41 pm
Willie has no one to blame but himself for his legacy becoming, “the pot singer.”
You reap what you sow.