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.

[lugsoul]

Cite to any authority for that proposition.

[jayef]

That is not the point of the argument. The point of the argument is to demonstrate the hypocrisy of the drug warriors. I don't care which drug you think is safer, I just want you to acknowledge that both marijuana and alcohol are drugs . . . as are nicotine and caffeine. If you can't or won't do that, then we have nothing to discuss.

[jayef]

The case has been made many times over. Your denial changes nothing.

[MrLeRoy]

Who says we are "prospering" in spite of alcohol? Not me.

We're not prospering? In what way are we failing to prosper?

[Xenalyte]

As usual no mention of Libertarians in the article. What is with you people.

Blind unreasoning prejudice against us. I'd love to have the anti-Libertarian crowd follow me around for a week to show them just how conservative we really are. My strict Constitutional construction would trump theirs.

[presidio9]

No case has been made. You guys throw out goofy observations about the evils of alcohol or all the wonderful uses of help, or the fact that it costs money to punish criminal behavior and you see all of this as justification for your addiction. It isn't. When you come up with a single legitimate reason for legalizing marijuana we'll take your cause seriously. Right now, you still sound like a bunch of indignant preschoolers.

[lugsoul]

Wow. That is so incredibly inaccurate from a physiological standpoint that it is hardly worth a response. But I'll give it a chance. Cite to a single scientific source in support of this outrageous claim.

[MrLeRoy]

you can not make a convincing case for why we need legalized drugs

Sure I can---relegalization would reduce the following effects of the War On Some Drugs: deaths of innocents in drug-turf wars; deaths of users due to impurities or unexpectedly high potencies; enrichment of criminals; corruption of the justice system by enriched criminals; and lessened respect for the law in general.

Not to mention upholding the principle that adults should be free to make their own non-rights-violating choices (even if the choices they make are stupid).

[Xenalyte]

Pot is illegal. It should be.

Love the logic and reason displayed in your post. Get out much?

[presidio9]

By your very own observations, people are dying like flies due to alcohol. Some of these people have never had a drink in their lives and they get killed/harmed by association. That's prospering?

[MrLeRoy]

I'd love to have the anti-Libertarian crowd follow me around for a week

What makes you think they aren't?

[Wolfie]

My strict Constitutional construction would trump theirs.

I don't actually see much interest in Conservative circles for strict adherence to the Constitution, since that doesn't leave much room to tell people what to do with their brains and genitalia.

[KEVLAR]

You do not know me.
It is not a matter of need.
I have not advocated legalizing anything.
I could care less if x is legalized.
However when the constitution is ignored and massive amounts of money wasted due to a failed effort we should speak up.
You should try making a convincing case for the money that we spend on the WOD.

[presidio9]

This is untopian BS. You have no understanding of the effects of drugs on their users.

[jayef]

Like I said, I don't care one whit about alcohol. To me there is one and only one reason to kill the WoD. The WoD is an excuse to trash the constitution. I know you don't agree, but that is my reason. You think my concern about the constitution is goofy? If so, you can take a flying leap.

[Xenalyte]

Bottom Line: Drugs are illegal in the U.S. Do something illegal, go to jail. Don't like it, move!

Do you obey ALL the laws? Do you ever exceed the speed limit? Do you ever run a yellow light?

Anxiously awaiting your demonstration of 100% compliance with every law.

[presidio9]

Don't you get it junior? We are spending it now. I don't need to make a case until you make a case on why we should stop. You can't.

[Frapster]

Oz - the 'anti flashback'

[gathersnomoss]

Hey, alcohol is much worse than the spliff. Yeah right.

[MrLeRoy]

By your very own observations, people are dying like flies due to alcohol. Some of these people have never had a drink in their lives and they get killed/harmed by association. That's prospering?

Compared to Prohibition---with its deaths of innocents in turf wars, deaths of users due to impurities, enrichment of criminals, corruption of the justice system by enriched criminals, and lessened respect for the law in general---yes, that's prospering. Utopia is not an option.