Music Legend Rips Apart America and Canada Making 'Greatest Mistakes of All Time'
He may have coined “Rocket Man,” but he’s clearly not a fan of getting high — at least any longer.
Longtime British music icon Elton John spoke to Time magazine about his “Icon of the Year” award (not to be confused with President-elect Donald Trump’s “Person of the Year” award) and covered a wide swathe of topics.
John, 77, spoke glowingly and reminiscently about his past and the numerous concerts he’s performed.
Most of the article reads wistful, but there was a point that John turned particularly terse, and it had to do with marijuana use.
After chronicling his own sordid past when it came to drug use, John told Time that he thinks North America has made a catastrophic mistake with its laissez-faire attitude towards marijuana.
“I maintain that it’s addictive,” John said. “It leads to other drugs.”
Beyond the gateway drug hypothesis, there’s also been plenty of reports suggesting that marijuana isn’t as harmless as its advocates would have you think.
John personally noted that “when you’re stoned– and I’ve been stoned — you don’t think normally.”
But the British musician saved his most biting critique for addressing North America directly: “Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.”
“John now divides his life into pre- and post-sober periods,” Time noted. “He has helped many people kick drugs and has offered to help many more.
“He is Eminem’s sponsor. He orchestrated English pop star Robbie Williams’ first stint in rehab.
“He tried, without success, to help George Michael.”
(Michael was another British music icon who passed away in 2016 at the age of 53.)
John admitted that it can be difficult to start conversations — particularly with stoners — but that it is needed.
“It’s tough to tell someone that they’re being an a**hole, and it’s tough to hear,” he said. “Eventually I made the choice to admit that I’m being an a**hole.”
Interestingly, John wasn’t as willing to offer as full-throated a condemnation of alcohol use.
Time said that John “offers a balanced answer, suggesting that while alcohol is part of the fabric of society, there are studies that find it’s much less healthy than people believe it to be.”
Apart from Trump and John, other notable recipients of Time’s end-of-year awards include WNBA star Caitlin Clark and tech CEO Lisa Su.
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