Ozzy Says He Now Believes Pot Leads To Other Addictions

MTV ^ | 07.08.2003 | Robert Mancini, with reporting by Gideon Yago

[presidio9]

Ozzy Osbourne may have weathered the lowest lows that drug addiction has to offer, but the news that his son Jack was seeking treatment for substance abuse taught him a lesson that his own decades of addiction never did.

"I used to think they should legalize pot, but you know what? They should ban the lot," Osbourne told MTV News, addressing Jack's battle for the first time. "One thing leads to another. Coffee leads to Red Bull, Red Bull leads to crank.

"When I found out the full depth of him getting into OxyContin, which is like hillbilly heroin, I was shocked and stunned," Osbourne continued. "The thing that's amazing was how rapidly he went from smoking pot to doing hillbilly heroin."

Ozzy's son entered a California rehabilitation facility in April to battle what was later revealed to be an addiction to the prescription painkiller OxyContin (see "Jack Osbourne Reveals He Was Addicted To Painkiller OxyContin"). Jack also said that he was drinking and using a variety of substances — including Vicodin, Valium, Xanax, Dilaudid, Lorcet, Lortab, Percocet and marijuana — before his trip to rehab (see "Rehab Helps Jack Osbourne Get To Root Of Addiction Problems").

Jack's laundry list of controlled substances made his father painfully aware of just how readily available drugs are. "When I started doing drugs years ago, they were hard to get, but today it's everywhere," Osbourne said. "It's not just America. It's not just California. It's not just Beverly Hills. It's not just downtown New York. It's not just London. It's all over the world" (see "All About OxyContin, The Pills Known As 'Killers' ").

This relatively easy access to allegedly "controlled" substances is especially hard for Ozzy to swallow given his firsthand experience with the damage that drugs can do.

"I'm 55 years old, and I didn't get off scot-free," Osbourne explained. "I have to take medication for the rest of my life because I've done so much neurological damage to my body," Osbourne said.

We'll have much more from our interviews with Ozzy and Jack in an "MTV News Now" special report, premiering Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET/PT (Jack's complete interview will appear on MTVNews.com when the show premieres). The show will be followed the next day by a repeat of MTV News' "True Life: I'm Hooked on OxyContin" at 6:30 p.m.

[presidio9]

Where I come from, pot is much easier for underage kids to obtain. Kids were getting stoned regularly in 7th grade. Drugs are much less bulky, and therefore easier to conceal. Next?

[lugsoul]

Okay. Let's start with your basic premise that just because some bad things are legal does not mean other bad things should be legal. Let's assume I buy into that. I don't, entirely, because I believe that some logical consistency in criminal prohibitions helps build respect for and compliance with the law. But I admit that is a bit of an amorphous concept, so I'll go with your view. With that as a given, can you articulate a reason, from a constitutional standpoint, why alcohol should be legal and pot should not? From a public health standpoint? From a medical standpoint? From a criminal justice standpoint?

Is there a single argument you would advance about why pot should be illegal that would not apply equally to alcohol? If so, what is it? If not, what is the reason you think it is a good idea for one to be legal and one not?

[Xenalyte]

What makes you think they aren't?

They'd be unable to refrain from hucking rocks at me. My orderly, conventional daily existence would threaten their hypothesis.

[Xenalyte]

It is because of people who share your philosophy that abortion is legal.

That is astoundingly insulting, and you had best take it back, Mr. Man. What I choose to ingest, as a non-pregnant non-mother, harms no one.

To equate smoking a joint with killing a baby is cheap and base, and frankly something I would not expect to have found here.

Take it back now.

[presidio9]

but I doubt you'll take the time to read something that disagrees with your slanted, teensy worldview.

I have as much experience with drugs, their effects and the law enforcement associated with them as anyone else on this thread. But thanks for the grammar lesson. It is my experience that people on FR who can't think of anything relevant to say gravitate towards critiquing spelling, grammar, or (my personal favorite) "reading comprehension." I post for the lurkers. Committed Libertarians are not worth the effort.

[jayef]

We drug addled loonies have no control over ourselves, don't ya know? I mean, I might go schizophrenic at any moment here, like that dude in Meridian . . . oh wait, that was intollerance. Never mind.

[presidio9]

My suggestion to all of you wackos is that you leave alcohol out of the argument. No matter how you try to lasso it, it does not help your cause.

[Xenalyte]

How do you know? Are you a druggie? Have you tried to OD on weed? ;-)

A buddy of mine tried to do just that several years back. He consumed between an eighth and a quarter, and got so blasted he couldn't pick up the pipe anymore, but he felt just fine. Although he had quite the hankering for Taco Bell.

[jmc813]

I know...if you don't agree with the Libertarians, they tear you a new one.

There are actually very few members of the Libertarian Party on FR. The majority of us are Republicans who think the Drug War is a waste. Most of us ain't so bad though. It's good to have new people with opposing views aboard. If you're interested in these sort of threads, I have a ping list for drug war threads. IT averages 5-6 articles per day. Lemme know if you'd like to be on it.

[presidio9]

Ozzy Osbourne, the new spokesman for the taliban wing of the Republican party. Predictable if nothing else.

Um, this was posted by MTV.

[vin-one]

pot is much easier for underage kids to obtain.

That is my point, if it were sold like alcohol it would be much harder for kids to get
the question was why is pot easier to get than booze
because booze is regulated and controled and sold in stores, the owner of the business stands
to lose out if caught selling to minors.
again logic, is something the Wod supporters lack..........

[lugsoul]

Try this on for size. The reason minors can get pot with relative ease is that it is an ILLEGAL economy.

Where I grew up, alcohol sales were illegal. It was terribly easy for us high school kids to get alcohol, because those involved in selling alcohol were already breaking the law - if selling is already illegal, why not sell to kids? Across the river, where alcohol sales were legal, the kids had a terrible time buying it, because there was no illegal alcohol economy. They came over to our town to buy beer.

[TheOtherOne]

• The FBI reported that, nationwide, there were 695,201 marijuana arrests made in 1997 alone. Of these, 87% were for possession.
  
• Since 1965, there have been over 11 million marijuana arrests in the United States of America. The marijuana arrest rate right now is at an all time high.
  
• An estimated 37,000 marijuana prisoners are currently sitting in federal and state prisons and in local jails in the U.S.

Sources: FBI Uniform Crime Reports, Marijuana Policy Project

[Xenalyte]

I have as much experience with drugs, their effects and the law enforcement associated with them as anyone else on this thread. But thanks for the grammar lesson. It is my experience that people on FR who can't think of anything relevant to say gravitate towards critiquing spelling, grammar, or (my personal favorite) "reading comprehension." I post for the lurkers. Committed Libertarians are not worth the effort.

My arguments have continued beyond (and despite) your lack of grammatical skill, and I notice you don't mention visiting the thread I sent to you. Any reason for that?

[presidio9]

Absolutely not. Pot is less bulky. If there were more around because it was legal, there would be more to sell to underage kids.

[jmc813]

And then, if you really make sense, they try to get you banned.

The only drug warriors I recall getting banned were Illbay, who had a piss poor atitude on all threads, not just the drug ones, and FF578, who advocated executing gays. Do you know of any others?

[presidio9]

I notice you don't mention visiting the thread I sent to you. Any reason for that?

I'm too busy explaining the real world to you confused stoners here.

[jmc813]

Bottom Line: Drugs are illegal in the U.S. Do something illegal, go to jail. Don't like it, move!

Do you have that same atitude towards "assault weapons"?

[jayef]

Please don't indulge this crap. It's a strawman that these morons inject into this debate every chance they get. I absolutely refuse to deal with this idiotic line of reasoning anymore.

[vin-one]

up to late last night and left off, a very big part of my post,

Wod supporters lack logic.....

made me look like a Wod supporter........

need much more coffee this morning.......

but ozzie says that will lead to crank......I'm doomed.......aaaiieeeeeee