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.

[ActionNewsBill]

You linked him from the Drug Reform Coordination Network.

Those darn Libertarians....they must have changed the data in the studies and posted their own version of the two articles from Scientific American and Journal of Internal Medicine.

Those Libertarians will do ANYTHING to advance their EVIL agenda.

Would linking directly to the data been any more convincing to you?

I thought so.

[lugsoul]

Did you understand that?

[RockyMtnMan]

Most people don't understand the constitution and what it means when we say a law is unconstitutional. There are hundreds of laws on the book that could be struck down by the supremes if they ever made it that far. Our legislators pass laws without regard to their constitutionally limited powers all the time. I've heard that a bill is up for vote "Enumerated Powers Act" which basically states all new laws must cite the constitutional authority of said law.

[ActionNewsBill]

You can not have the same freedom in close quarters as we once had when the country was more barren in 1776.

Then by your logic, I should have more freedom living in the Upper Peninsula with nothing but trees and small towns all around than someone from New York City or Los Angeles.

I like that idea.

[mvpel]

I think Ron Paul puts forth the Enumerated Powers Act every year, and every year it dies in committee because they know deep down in their hearts that such a requirement would hobble them.

[RockyMtnMan]

He doesn't understand the proccess. Amendments are only added when we need a law that is not authorized by the constitution. To ban guns we need an ammendment to the 2nd ammendment. To ban booze we needed an ammendment. I would like to know which ammendment authorizes the federal goverment to wage a drug war.

[RockyMtnMan]

Which of course shows the true nature of our government and it's representatives.

[Xenalyte]

We are a Democratic Republic.

Wrong again. We are a representative republic.

[mvpel]

It's been suggested that a repeal of the Second Amendment, or any other part of the Bill of Rights, would invalidate the entire Constitution, because the Bill of Rights was the only reason enough of the first 13 states ratified the Constitution in the first place.

[Xenalyte]

We have limitiations to our freedom based on the fact that we live with others.

I'll ask it for the third or fourth time.

If I, a single woman with no children, decide to smoke a joint on a Saturday night when staying home, how does that harm you?

[lugsoul]

yeah - what got me was his impression that it is kind of the same thing. Except for that pesky 2/3 of Congress and 3/4 of the states thing.

[RockyMtnMan]

Many would argue with that assessment since the 17th ammendment was added. I believe we became a democracy with that ammendment, it effectively took power away from state assemblies by removing their representation at the federal level (not the peoples representation).

[RockyMtnMan]

Yeah, the first ten are the pillars and number nine and ten are on their last legs.

[Ken H]

If you want 30,000 amendments as the way to go, fine with me, but the point that could dilute the original document seemed to be a possibility if we did that.

You are aware of the hurdles to passing an Amendment, yes?

There would be the same outcomes by just different methods. There would just be 30,000 amendments by now.

I think it's unrealistic to think that two-thirds of both Houses of Congress and three-fourths of State Legislatures would have enacted a massive, high tax Federal bureaucracy that runs most of our domestic life from Washington DC.

[Ken H]

Many would argue with that assessment since the 17th ammendment was added. I believe we became a democracy with that ammendment, it effectively took power away from state assemblies by removing their representation at the federal level (not the peoples representation).

I agree. The 17th Amendment paved the way for the wholesale trashing of the Tenth Amendment.

There was an abundance of mischief afoot in 1913. The 16th Amendment, which of course gave us a federal income tax, was added that year as well.

And if that wasn't enough, in 1919 they took away booze.

[headsonpikes]

"I think it's unrealistic to think that two-thirds of both Houses of Congress and three-fourths of State Legislatures would have enacted a high tax Federal bureaucracy..."

Then I ask you, how could these poor dumb bast*rds employed by the WOD going to make a living?

Can you imagine having someone as iron-headed as most of the pro-WOD posters are as an employee?

That metastasized Federal payroll keeps a lot of thick-witted time-servers fed and watered, you must admit.

[Ken H]

I've heard that a bill is up for vote "Enumerated Powers Act"

I did hear something about that...

Enumerated Powers Act- Free Republic Thread

:)

[Xenalyte]

Poor Dumb Bastids would be a great name for a band.

[A CA Guy]

Maybe and maybe not, you think you can't get 2/3rds of most any politicians to pass laws or amendments to get your money. You are an OPTIMIST!

(Good for you)

[A CA Guy]

I think you have to deal with reality of the day.

They never heard of the internet, over-population, cars, Nukes or other crud in 1776!