A Major Pot Connoisseur Has Given Up Pot

Willie Nelson says he's been having breathing problems
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 4, 2019 2:09 AM CST
Willie Nelson Has Given Up Smoking Pot
Willie Nelson performs "The Rainbow Connection" at the 53rd annual CMA Awards at Bridgestone Arena, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019, in Nashville, Tenn.   (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)

Willie Nelson has a brand of pot named after him, but he says he no longer smokes marijuana—or anything else. The 86-year-old singer tells KSAT that he has been experiencing breathing-related health problems lately so he has started taking better care of himself. "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," he says. "I started smoking cedar bark, went from that to cigarettes to whatever," he adds. "And that almost killed me." Nelson, who smoked his first joint in 1954, said earlier this year that pot probably "saved his life" when he was younger by helping him cut back on drinking, USA Today reports. He says touring is helping him stay healthy and he has no intention of giving it up. (More Willie Nelson stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X