Elton John, named Time’s Icon of the Year, told the outlet he disdains marijuana and thinks legalizing it is a mistake.
“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,” he told Time in an article released Wednesday.
“Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.”
The British singer and songwriter who previously suffered from alcohol and substance abuse said his struggles led him to the conclusion.
While marijuana is still considered a Schedule I drug by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), states throughout the country have either approved or considered approving the recreational sale of cannabis.
About half of U.S. states allow recreational marijuana, and an additional dozen have legalized the drug for medical use. Public opinion has also shifted on the issue over the past two decades, and according to a Pew Research Center poll from early this year, a majority of Americans are for legalization.
The Biden administration announced in May it had initiated the process to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III from its Schedule I designation that it has held for more than 50 years.
However, opponents point to information from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which says marijuana directly affects the parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning, attention, decision-making, coordination, emotion, and reaction time. Long-term or frequent cannabis use has been linked to increased risk of psychosis or schizophrenia in some users and the risk of developing cannabis use disorder is even greater for people who begin to use it before age 18.
John, who became sober in 1990, has encouraged other artists to remain drug free.
In Time’s article, he’s listed as a sponsor for rapper Eminem and a close confidante for best-selling artist George Michael, who died after years of extensive drug use.
