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]

Bet our mosquitoes could beat up your mosquitoes!

Hmmm, I dunno, especially this year! But hey! At least our state flag is looking more like yours everyday.

Georgia Flag

Texas Flag

[commonerX]

The Drug Warrior groups are too busy trying to imprission everyone that doesn't see things their way. I guess if that is thier idea of conservativism, we are all doomed. I might have start voting Democrat

[commonerX]

Typical drunken garble

[ActionNewsBill]

What is it with you with personal insults?

Since you have made it clear that you refuse to sanely and rationally debate the issues at hand, and also have yet to post ONE SINGLE SHRED of evidence to support your absurd claims, this is the only way to communicate with a misguided and naive individual such as yourself.

You and the rest of the a$$-clown brigade started with the insults anyways.

Don't dish it out if you can't take it.

[commonerX]

Little early to be drinking. But booze lovers will drink and time of the day. NEXT

[commonerX]

You inability to reason shows you how drunk or stupid you are.

Which is it?

[commonerX]

I love a challenge. Come on Presidio9 I could take you no problem.

[Xenalyte]

Good luck with that, there. I'm studiously ignoring him.

[commonerX]

I love the challenge. Not that his arguement proves much of a challenge. He is slowly becoming a dinosuar in his views.

[MrLeRoy]

Maybe if you put the bottle down you would be about to really use what little brain you have. Alcoholic = Prisidio9

The moderator has requested that personal attacks be taken to the Smokey Backroom.

[lugsoul]

What about all those arguments about how poor health affects the family?

[commonerX]

I am perfectly willing to have a civil discussion. But if someone is attacking me verbally I will not just sit and take. Why would Presidio9 put up an intial post and not want to have a civil discussion about it.

[bird4four4]

Good luck. It's hard to argue with someone who will not answer any questions and will not read any information he is given. Just the same old sound bites to keep this post bumped. That's all he is by his own admission.

[toothless]

smokey

[commonerX]

If presidio9 didn't want to have a discussion over a topic. He should have just stated in the beginning that only pro-WOD posters reply.

[MrLeRoy]

if someone is attacking me verbally I will not just sit and take.

That was a slimy attack by presidio9. But I'd urge you to take the high road and just calmly point out his slimy attacks as what they are. (Not only is the high road the right place to be, but it'll keep our lurker-education efforts from being moved to the Smokey Backroom.)

[MrLeRoy]

Too late. :-(

[Last Visible Dog]

Again: The logic is "alcohol is bad, so we need to legalize pot." get it right.

Again: you are wrong. The logic is "the reasons for making pot illegal would support making alcohol illegal, why the inconsistency”. If the reasons are valid, alcohol should be illegal. If the reasons are invalid, pot should be legal.

Bottom line: I have no idea how one can support laws against inanimate objects and call one’s self a conservative.

[presidio9]

As this thread is in the backroom now, I will be taking my leave of you nutjobs. Best of luck with your habit, and if you get caught, for God''s sake remember: "Be the husband, not the wife."

[commonerX]

You're right I don't need to lower myself to his level to prove my point.