Singer Elton John condemns legalisation of marijuana in the US and Canada

Iconic British musician Elton John spoke about his views on drugs, especially marijuana, in a recent interview.

The 77-year-old Rocket Man (1972) singer, who was picked as Time’s Icon of the Year, told the magazine: “Legalising marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.”

John has been open about his addiction struggles in multiple interviews. He was introduced to cocaine by his former lover and manager John Reid in 1974, around the peak of his fame. He soon became addicted, to the point where he had a cocaine overdose in 1975.

John has been sober for over 30 years and helped stars such as American rapper Eminem and English singer Robbie Williams get clean.

He believes marijuana is a gateway to addiction. “I maintain that it’s addictive. It leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned – and I’ve been stoned – you don’t think normally.”

Recreational use of marijuana, also known as cannabis or weed, is illegal in Singapore. It is legal in some American states and in Canada.

John said in a previous interview with CBS News in 2019 that his struggles with addiction nearly destroyed his soul. He said that when he tried cocaine for the first time, he actually threw up, but went and asked for more after that because he wanted to “join in” with his friends.

In the Time magazine interview, he added that he initially felt that cocaine helped ease his shyness, but eventually, the drug took over his life.

“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.”

English lyricist Bernie Taupin, John’s songwriting partner of more than five decades, said the years when John was heavily consuming drugs were not creatively fulfilling ones for either of them, and it was hard to watch his friend languish in addiction.

“A lot of the work that we did in the times when he was at his worst wasn’t the best of both of us,” Taupin said.

The Time magazine interview also covered John’s career, his relationship with his mother, his philanthropy work and his connection with younger artistes like pop stars Britney Spears and Dua Lipa. It also touched on his marriage with his partner David Furnish and how they have been raising their two sons, Zachary, 13, and Elijah, 11.  

Time said John continues to reinvent himself even in his 70s. He was first a successful singer-songwriter on his own, then he created hits for Disney animated films – such as Can You Feel The Love Tonight and Hakuna Matata from The Lion King (1994) – before writing music for Broadway musicals such as Aida (2000).

Now, he is working with younger artistes like British-Albanian singer Lipa and American singer Spears on songs such as Cold Heart (2021) and Hold Me Closer (2022).

The magazine wrote: “The candle that is Elton John has been inextinguishable, no matter how strong the wind.”

Previous Icons of the Year include Malaysian actress Michelle Yeoh, who won the Best Actress Oscar for Everything Everywhere All At Once (2022).