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.

[A CA Guy]

Clifford A. Schaffer appears to only be some drug activists, how does that in any way give validity to that comment you made to me?
He appears to be just another drug misfit!

[ChefKeith]

Yea - the munchies

[presidio9]

You are not helping your case. I'm supposed to take that seriously?

[mvpel]

[MrLeRoy]

If I support the right to read Marxist literature, am I "backing" Marxist literature?

If you support the reading of Marxist literature knowing it leads to the practice of Marxism by the reader, like illegal drugs, you would be promoting EVIL!

You STILL haven't answered my question.

[eyespysomething]

When all else fails rehash the squawk "all they say is alcohol is bad so legalize pot squawk squawk" even though no one is saying that!

[mvpel]

Of course you're not supposed to take that seriously! I just wish you'd take some of my other posts seriously enough to offer a cogent reply that isn't packed with baseless assertions. *grin*

[presidio9]

You STILL haven't answered my question.

Yeah. And make sure you include some EVIDENCE!!!

[presidio9]

bump

[ActionNewsBill]

Logic: When drugs are cheaper and more easily available, more kids will do drugs. How's that?

Logic : When drugs are legalized and tightly regulated (much in the way tobacco and booze are now) fewer kids will have access to drugs.

My statement actually makes sense. Yours doesn't.

[presidio9]

bump

[presidio9]

My statement actually makes sense. Yours doesn't.

In your fantasy world...

[eyespysomething]

knowing it leads to the practice of Marxism

Bet you'd burn books also.

Mr. Eyespy had to read The Communist Manifesto in his Economics class (it was on radical econ theories). I'd better keep an eye on him!

[A CA Guy]

I like to have evidence these pro-drug advocates can be found debating in (only a constitutional theory sense) vastly all over other places on FR!
They seem to be a one note drug agenda crowd mostly to me.

If they were these fanatical constitionalists, then they should be all over FR if it was the politics and not the drugs that were the issue for them.

[ActionNewsBill]

Show us all the other threads of vast different topics where the same posters equally post and debate for the sake of Constitutionality. EVIDENCE PLEASE!

I will be more than happy to do so....as soon as you name the FREEPERS who are main-line heroin addicts.

[Xenalyte]

I never claimed he was right about anything he said.

[eyespysomething]

Please read through my comments please. You will see I am consistent about wanting smaller govt and more personal freedoms. Just click on my name at the bottom of this post and the at the top of my page, click on "in Forum"

[ActionNewsBill]

Ah, so doing something that hurts others and, ultimately, society, is not a crime to you?

I don't see anyone's "lack of ambition" hurting anyone other than themselves.

I've known plenty of non-pot users with a lack of ambition.

Everything you mentioned in your post could also apply to gambling as well.

But for some reason it's legal Why is that? Oh right, fed.gov gets a big cut of that action.......

[Xenalyte]

Those who attempt to use heroine will feel the sting of cold, hard steel!

"Sting" doesn't even begin to describe getting whacked with a Starfire sword. They have a dull edge, but they're still solid, and they can produce quite an impressive bruise.

This season, I'm seriesly considering fighting with a meat-tenderizer mallet.

[A CA Guy]

I did answer, when you advocate evil as a regular practice of a right as in the vice drugs, you are promoting evil.

If you promote "use", you are advocating evil.

If you promote the reading of Marxist literature on a regular basis resulting in creating a Marxist out of the reader, you have just participated in evil. You are in part responsible for their indoctrination into a misfit behavior like you would with illegal drug use.