Willie Nelson is a proud marijuana smoker who stopped using alcohol and tobacco decades ago. Willie, 81, credits his longevity to that decision.
Willie was purposely out of the “marijuana closet” before that became fashionable, or even politically correct. His openness came across as charmingly naive, as if he did not know cannabis was illegal, and could not figure out why others were sometimes upset.
Willie was — and still is — making a political statement that there is nothing wrong with smoking marijuana.
Two issues have always been the focus of Willie’s political attention: helping family farmers remain on the land and legalizing marijuana.
Willie and I have frequently talked over the years about the natural crossover between those two issues. If marijuana were legal for American farmers to cultivate and sell, tens of thousands of family farmers could grow marijuana and financially thrive and remain on the land, continuing the great rural tradition dating back to the founding of our country.
Keith you are also a national hero and it is great to read your stories. Keep writing!
Like so many good Americans, I consider Willie to be a national treasure! I have approximately 1000 times more respect for him than I do for the GOP (I mostly have a lot of disrespect for that bunch of fools…).
In case any of you don’t already know, Tommy Chong is a contestant on Dancing with the Stars! I think we should all tune in to give him our vote! How about it? I will for sure! 🙂
Dig willie.he has done himself a big favor by givin up two bad fer one good! I did the same thing until 5 yrs ago when I had to start givin up hair to my employer. life has not been the same since. I didn’t use a lot of herb but a little every day made life VERY tolerable for me. shame my company of 37 yrs sold out my private life to gain favor with a corrupt government!…..long live WILLIE! best to ya man!
I am not a smoker, my children are and I has’nt seemed to hurt any of them, they are grown with children….they did’nt have
DUI’s
arrest records ect
So I say legalize the shit,
What a great person Willie is. He’s been focused on helping others most of his life and to give up two highly addictive substances for a healthy alternative is quite noble. Imagine the savings to our health care costs if we could get about 10-20% of alcohol and tobacco users off their drugs of choice and into the healthy options!
After I started smoking again I quite everything, including pain pills like aspirin, ibuprofen. Those drugs have side effects and can cause liver issues. What an amazing this little plant is, imagine if we focused our energy on plants and people instead of profits.
Bob Marley called it Herb.
Weeds grow wild, they are a problem, they are poisoned pulled out and burned.
The cannabis we consume is selected, cultivated, nurtured, consumed and loved.
It’s a Herb.
Willie, you’re a legend and an inspiration for all Americans, struggling farmers, struggling musicians, for the sick and imprisoned or for those of us who choose marijuana over those cancer sticks. I heard you on an NPR show once when you said you’d smoke the bark off a tree when you were younger but you knew the whiskey and smoke was gonna kill you one day so you stuck with weed and here you are.
When I was 18 I made the same decision over tobacco. I wish I had made the decision earlier about whiskey and I could have avoided that time when the cops showed up for fightin with my brother in the middle of the street at night (we told them I went in his room and they let us go…)
…Or the time when I snuck a flask in to your show at the Verizon in San Antonio and passed out through Los Lonely Boys. (My brothers stuffed paper in my mouth… Lil fuckers) I’ll never forget that Merle Haggard was so bent outta shape he wasn’t headlining the show he only sang a few songs and left. We were all disappointed we didn’t hear Pancho and Lefty so you said, “We’ll, he shoulda smoked marijuana in Muskogee!” I still think Meryl’s alright, but I laughed my ass off.
A real poster or commercial for marijuana over whiskey that night was watching David Allen Coe before you. Coe could make his voice sound like a bird in the spring at one time, but years of whiskey… By the gallon… Really show in his performance now. It was a miracle he was alive at all; he recorded some songs with Pantera before Dimebag Darrel died but they were all so damn drunk the album was ruined. Priceless recordings and vocal cords destroyed by Jack Daniels.
Meanwhile, most people don’t even know not only do you play guitar for a living, you have arthritis! I don’t know how you could manage the pain without marijuana. Now that’s a miracle a man can be proud of.
I know I’m writing a book again, but in the Spirit of Ol Merle, I think I’ll write a little song about my experience at your concert.
I call it “Proud I smoked my Stogee in Muskogee”
We all Smoke marijuana in Muskogee
No one thinks that “don’t” is what Merle means
And when they drag our ass on down to the courthouse
We pay and pray our mugshot Google cleans
Cuz I’m proud I smoked a Stogee in Muskogee
I rolled it up with one hand in my car
And it ain’t about bein rebel, or an outlaw
Just a country road and a lit joint is our bar
We don’t need to pass out on the front steps
Or mix our thrills with pills and lose it all
Cuz marijuana don’t make a man get violent
Or leavem so f’d up he has to crawl
Jesus gave it to the sick in prison
He said it wasn’t just for Priests and Kings
How many times do we have to end prohibition?
I’m reminded every time that Willie sings!
Oh I’m proud I smoked a Stogee in Muskogee
If only there were hemp fields flowin green
Farmers could make shelter for their children
N we’d finely respect cops and the College Dean!
God Bless you Keith n Willie. Thanks for all you do.
I’m proud I smoked a Stogee in Muskogee
And it ain’t the tobacco kind I mean
It used to make Old Glory before nylon
And filled the hills with freedom waves of green
So let’s all vote back Cannabis today
In Muskogee, Oaklahoma U.S.A.
Yeah, Keith and Willie. I love you.
what a great story. this story illustrates beautifully why Willie is absolutely right that there’s NOTHING wrong with smoking marijuana, in fact, I’d say Willie looks darned good for 81, and probably smoking pot helped that along. The story also illustrates what kind of culture has been built up around marijuana, and with that, shows that marijuana is not like street drugs and excess alcohol that ruin your health and your life. some day Willie and Keith will go down in history as heroes.
Just got back from Colorado and I’m betting that the rest of the country is going to follow suit soon. CO’s having a booming economy, tourism has spiked this year, revenue is up like crazy. Not only that, but what you don’t see is societal destruction and traffic hazards. How nice it was to be able to go to a shop, be shown the different strains and what they do, and then be able to purchase my choice at a fairly reasonable price. Unlike most of the stuff off the street, this stuff contained very little in the way of stem or fiber and no seeds. It’s not so much that it’s potent and you blow your mind away, but it’s potent and you only need one or two puffs to be satisfied. I didn’t see anyone going crazy or fighting or driving bad. Pot’s here to stay if Colorado continues to set such a good example.
@Fireweed, yeah I know, I thought the same when I saw this picture; Damn I hope I look that good at 81!
I still feel bad for David Allen Coe, I still can’t believe he’s gone… Until I remember what he looked like in that last concert! I’ll bet they had to close the casket to get the smell of whiskey out of the funeral! I mean, damn! He better be glad he went when he did, he looked like $#i+! I guess he was like ol Rodney Carrington, “I like all the shit that’s BAD for ya… I mean, When I die, I wanna LOOK dead! I want people to start gaggin! ”
(I’m sorry to all of David Allen Coes family, I don’t mean to be an asshole, the man just drank too much whiskey! I love the mans music…except apologies for his older sister; I’ll bet you were tired of him singin about you bein a first rate whore in “if that ain’t country.”)
Seriously, I’m glad that Willie and Keith get to celebrate this moment in history with us. With the recent Obama administration’s change in Attorney General right before elections, it’s clear something big is brewing in November… Maybe even Texas size…
By the way, all my songs and poems are open source… I know Willie would get into some trouble singing parodies like “I smoked a Stogee in Muskogee,” but that doesn’t stop the rest of us! Put it on you tube then post it here!
Vote Wendy Davis! ( and then help build the Green Party)
God Bless you Keith and Willie!
Thank you Willie, for speaking publicly for your medicine of choice. You are making it easier for the rest of us!
I was stunned to read TWO articles in last months AARP magazine, one about Willie and the other about Jeff Bridges, where both stars mention marijuana use.Still stunned actually…
@ Carm: you wrote: my children are (smokers)and (mj)hasn’t seemed to hurt any of them, they are grown with children….they didn’t have DUI’s arrest records etc. So I say legalize the shit-Anne’s comment: “I hear ya’! I have been using weed for “sobriety for 15 yr!”:)
@ Julian: great poetry as usual; u wrote: I’m proud I smoked a Stogee in Muskogee And it ain’t the tobacco kind I mean It used to make Old Glory before nylon And filled the hills with freedom waves of green So let’s all vote back Cannabis today…” Thanks for the poem..
Interesting what you wrote about the Flag being “Nylon”. Nylon is a fire hazard and many children’s nylon clothing has caught fire. When Nylon burns; plastic residue forms.
There should be a “Hemp Only American Flag”!!!
After I started smoking again I quite everything, including pain pills like aspirin, ibuprofen. Those drugs have side effects and can cause liver issues. What an amazing this little plant is, imagine if we focused our energy on plants and people instead of profits. – Anne’s comment: I have read so many similar testimonies!! great to read ! I use weed as a “cure-all”. ps Tylenol rots;do not use; this goes to anyone. Thanks!
(note: above comment is @ Andy.) there are other herbs to be used: “Milk Thistle is one; another good “liver tonic” is Breakfast Tea; such as Lipton; drink daily. Coffee protects the Gall Bladder* by “digesting fats.” Coffee is an “wild evergreen shrub berries.” ps @ Julian:Fresh Garden Rosemary Herb here!! Nice!
(source:Johns Hopkins University)
Yes. Willie does look good at 80. I am a mere 72 but I have noticed that almost all of my smoker friends are fine and the non smokers are dead. Men do not usually live this long. The old folks home is usually all women, a demographic that may change with legalization.
I cannot believe Willie is 80 y. Really gives one hope !
@ Anne, I had grown up with alcohol thru to my late teens and, I could drink liquor first thing in the morning as I enjoy it. BUT, after trying cannabis, within a few years I had made up my mind I did not want to lose my liver as my mother did. I decided to replace liquor with cannabis. I enjoyed a couple three belts off the pyrex after work on most days for the last 32 years and am DAMM glad of it! sure ,I still have an occasional few socially but,in my opinion, cannabis has saved my life. I fight now because my employer of 37 years felt like he had to sell out my private life to stay on the good side of our corrupt government by getting hair samples from me whenever he wants. cannabis is a benefit!
…tell ya something else….I have had back, neck and abdominal surgeries (11) and I did not need to fill any pain meds for them. cannabis allowed me to tolerate a great deal of pain….its a wonderful thing folks!!
@ “lockedoutofmyshed” hello; I read your post and I agree with what you say. I too feel the same. I had a choice “sobriety with marijuana or non sobriety which can lead to “problems.”
I chose the “expensive route…Marijuana. All in all; I would say “sobriety w MMJ is worth every cent; because in the long run I save $.
HomeGrow would really be a good answer for me.
Then I could really begin to “save some money!
so I could expand my “Soaps gift basket idea.”
Hemp Oil soap will be on my agenda!
Appreciate your reply! keep on keepin on”…AR
Comment: The first medical marijuana “shops” in Conn. opened on September 12th; 2014. There are 5 “MMJ shops so far in various areas. I will hopefully be “certified soon.”
I will not save much money @ The Pot Shop tho!
atleast I will have my choice o’buds; I hope.
(I cannot stand low quality herb though)green.
Pennsylvania (source: “Leafly.com”.
Philadelphia is decriminalizing cannabis with the new Small Amounts of Marijuana Program. Penalties have been lowered for cannabis possession of 30 grams or less to a civil fine of $25. Use in public is now a fine of $100 or nine hours of community service, as opposed to the previously imposed jail time.
It’s so frustrating, especially, with, Antonin Scalia’s latest remarks, about, the US Constitution – that, they, clearly, have no awareness, of, the fact, that, the Constitition’s original draft is, “marihuana,” itself. Is it some kind of, “professional courtesy,” that even Mr. Stroup won’t specify what his intent, is, when pursuing trial, for simple possesion? What is even more neglected, in our demonstrated opportunities, to specify the aforementioned, before the Supreme Court? The paintings on the very walls are, of, “marihuana” – why not so inform the court, yet? What does NORML yet wait, for?
Comment: Homocystine: Vit. B12; Vit. B6 + Folate (greens) knock homocystine down. Homocystine is considered to be a bad factor; like high cholesterol. They do not research the Medicinal Herb(s) because they are worried the Herb might be a “cure for many types of diseases”. This might knock the “pharmaceutical stocks down.” Example:
Hawthorne Berry superior to Digoxin(foxglove).
Hawthorne @Health store. Keep the Green goin’!
We love Willie, and, Keith! Especially endearing, in this article, is Keith’s description of Willie’s seeming to not know it’s prohibited. I listen to Willie’s Roadhouse, all the time! Thanks
This article brings up a point that gets often overlooked. The farms. We are constantly reminded of rising CO2 levels in the atmosphere, the deteriorating quality of the air, and the deforestation (really the de-greening) of the world, and yet here is a plant that can grow nearly anywhere, absorbs a significant amount of CO2, and is medicinally valuable. It grows every year, and in some climates more than one cycle per year. How many trees can do that? I’m all in favor of planting trees, but in the meantime, while we wait for those trees to grow, there is another “tree” that is so much more efficient. Can you imagine if we used any cannabis variety to use as a ground cover, how much land would never go fallow, and would have the benefit of being harvested for valuable products as well?
Land is how the commoner holds a stake in the legitimacy of being able to tell those “in charge” that without the land producing, we all die. The more value we can produce from any soil, the more people will want to defend it. Want increased American pride in our land? Let the people use it for what they really want, and what actually benefits the people of that community.
It’s time to take the power out of the corporations and put it into the land of the individuals, who can produce products that will actually be bought by the public, (our public) instead of the government (at unsustainable prices – read subsidies) that get off-loaded to other countries at pennies on the dollar, just to keep failing farms going. Why not let them grow a product that will be in constant demand instead of something that has to be regularly subsidized, and wears out the soil prematurely like many of the current agricultural products.
Be a REAL American and use the land for the PEOPLE!
@ John Locke: you wrote: yet here is a plant that can grow nearly anywhere, absorbs a significant amount of CO2, and is medicinally valuable. It grows every year, and in some climates more than one cycle per year. How many trees can do that? I’m all in favor of planting trees, but in the meantime, while we wait for those trees to grow, there is another “tree” that is so much more efficient. Can you imagine if we used any cannabis variety to use as a ground cover, how much land would never go fallow, and would have the benefit of being harvested for valuable products as well?
Thanks for explaining the value of MJ + Hemp.
There is another Tree which grows in one yr.
I read it on the Chiquita website; right Bananas; Bananas are an Herb which reach full maturity and height in one year. Imagine if Banana trees were planted along side of Hemp?
Imagine the renewable worldwide food sources?
If Hemp is “food grade why is Hemp “scheduled?