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.

[MEGoody]

"You don't need dope to be an dumpA$$ your doning just fine without it."

And you're doing just fine with it.

[toothless]

The constitution is a restriction on government power.

"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. "

http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/amendment09/

Learn it, live it, love it.

[RockyMtnMan]

I get pissed when I here someone claim to be conservative and tow the Republican line regardless of how liberal the particular issue may be.

Curtailing a state's power is far easier than trying to limit the fed's power. This is the fundamental reason the founders gave us a constitutional republic. Representation at the federal level is a fairy tale but state officials quake in their boots come election time if they've screwed up.

[lugsoul]

Oh, he's not coming back for more when there are people who will call him on it here. He's hiding like a frightened child. He'll only come back when he thinks the coast is clear.

[commonerX]

The constitution is the guide line the for the government to follow. The constitution doens't really give people the right to do this or do that, but it is to limit the governments infringement on the people. The constitution deosn't even provide freedom but civil liberties.

[MEGoody]

("I smoked marijuana and turned into a bat.") although a lot of the drug warriors still believe that happens, along with a penchant for listening to jazz music, raping white women and playing that crazy piano with a maniacal grin on your face.

Hmmm. . .that's not how I see druggies. Every one I've met seems a bit of a wasteoid. Not enough of the brain left to play jazz/piano, and not enough concern for anything other than drugs to want to rape a woman.

[RockyMtnMan]

Or he'll just round up a bunch of drug warriors that will call us names and tell us how stupid we are.

[MEGoody]

"The constitution deosn't even provide freedom but civil liberties."

Indeed, and those civil liberties do not include the right to do things which harm others. Taking drugs harms others. You know it, I know it, everyone who is honest in their thinking knows it.

[MEGoody]

"The constitution is a restriction on government power."

No where in the Constitution are rights granted to the people to do things which harm others. Taking drugs harms people other than the druggie. And you know it.

[commonerX]

I don't do drugs. But I guess if that is the only way to make yourself sound right, go right ahead. Most intellegent people can see past those comments.

[lugsoul]

Unfortunately, the blind support of the WoD is both the Republican and Democratic party line. Because of people who live in sound bites and who can't participate in intelligent discussion and assesment of the issues. Politicians are scared to death that if they take a reasonable stance on the expansion of goverment power or the massive expenditure of resources driven by the drug war, all anyone will hear is that they are "pro-drug." It is the exact same kind of thing reflected in presidio's posts - and it is a damn shame that politics are driven down to that level by those who refuse to acknowledge reality. So they'll get their drug war, and it won't succeed any more than it already has, and it will cost a fortune, and we'll jail an increasing number of our citizens who have never raised a hand to anyone or stolen anything or violating a single one of God's commandments, and soon there will be all kinds of new surveillance techniques we will all have to put up with - we'll probably all have to submit samples, like Gattaca - and these people won't care any more about liberty then than they do now.

[MEGoody]

"What rights are retained by the people under the 9th Amendment? Can you name one?"

See my posts 668 and 689.

[toothless]

Repeating it doesn't make it true.

[lugsoul]

Since you are relying on the "harms others" argument, why not reply to my #631?

[commonerX]

The law will punish someone if they harm someone. There are laws against that already.

[RockyMtnMan]

Taking drugs harms others

Not as much as a drug dealer who thinks you are a cop or trying to move in on his territory. By your logic you are advocating a ban on alcohol as well, I personally know several people being harmed by alcohol abuse.

[Xenalyte]

[lugsoul]

"What rights are retained by the people under the 9th Amendment? Can you name one?"

"See my posts 668 and 689."

Since the only thing you've posted relates to rights upi say the Constitution does not give, I take it you can't name one? Just one right retained by the people? Anything? Or is the 9th just fluff?

[toothless]

But, but, but we have to punish everybody to keep people from harming others.

That arguemnt doesn't work when the gun grabbers use it, it doesn't work when the DWs use it.

[lugsoul]

8^)