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.

[eyespysomething]

Like legalizing drugs will result in more kids on drugs

Not true, and repeating it won't make it so. Read post #884 BUMP!

[eyespysomething]

damn dirty hippie wanna-be



lol

[Xenalyte]

"Posession" is not "smoking pot," and how many of those are kids?

To smoke it, one must first possess it. It's quite difficult to smoke something one does not have.

[lugsoul]

"Posession" is not "smoking pot,"

We'll add this one to the silly list.

"But officer, I was just SMOKING it - I didn't POSSESS it."

[commonerX]

Riiiight. Would that be before or after your lengthy Dungeons and Dragons session?

What are you talking about?

[Xenalyte]

He's a helluva cat. He's made cat lovers out of two people who absolutely hated cats before they met him. We're trying to wangle him a spot on the best cat site on the 'Net, but so far no luck.

[lugsoul]

A gun-totin' hippie, no less.

[ActionNewsBill]

(Ozzy)...he's an idiot, but he knows a thing or two about drugs.

Well you've got something in common then, except for the second part of your statement.

[Xenalyte]

He's trying to rag on me. So far, I don't feel insulted. Seriously, P9, you need some lessons if you want to sling mud.

[presidio9]

Which one? That alcohol is an evil that can only be combatted be the legalization of drugs?

[toothless]

I hope he knows that being a damn dirty druggie in posession of a gun makes him a felon.

[A CA Guy]

The most LIBERAL areas will vote for almost all the vices shy of perhaps murder. Federal law keeps some of the insanity from getting implemented though.

Drugs are not "progress", but are Progressive/Liberal. I think you are close in that regard.

[eyespysomething]

lol

[presidio9]

You are such a loser. Did I say that you said "pot was never legal"?

Um, yeah, you did. I didn't.

[presidio9]

facts show that the War on Drugs has not reduced usage by adolescents, which has in fact risen. Please read post #884, which cites statistics and links, including Federal gov't info.

And just think of how much worse things would be if drugs were legal. Thank God for the War on Drugs.

[lugsoul]

You'll lie about anything. Show me where I attributed that statement to you, liar.

[presidio9]

you have a severe ethical problem that I don't associate with conservatism in any way

That's because you think Libertarianism is conservativism. It isn't.

[toothless]

"And just think of how much worse things would be if drugs were legal."

Got any statistics to back that up, chump?

lol.

[lugsoul]

"Thank God for the War on Drugs"

Oh, yes - I do seem to recall that part of the Bible where he commands us to eradicate the plants he has given to us.

[presidio9]

Drug users logic: When drugs are legal, less kids will use drugs.