Cannabis is still seen by many as a compound that doesn’t need to be around, and which can’t help anybody. But this sentiment is becoming outdated. One grouping of people who are often more outspoken about their life choices and what they believe, are celebrities, and this has helped push the conversation forward. To give an idea of what cannabis has meant to some people, outside of recreational benefits, here are some celebrities who outright explain how cannabis saved their lives, or improved them greatly.
These days, its not hard to find celebrities that have said cannabis saved their lives, or made living that much easier, and this helps the rest of us by opening the door wider for public commentary, which we standard people can’t do as well. And this is great. We fully support the legalization of cannabis for medical (and recreational) needs, and offer products like THC-O, THCV, Delta 10 THC and Delta-8 THC, which is beneficial for medical patients. Why? Delta-8 produces less psychoactive effect, doesn’t fog up the brain or seep out all a user’s energy, and it doesn’t create the anxiety of delta-9. If you are a medical user, these can be great benefits. Take a look at our selection of Delta 8 deals, and find your perfect product for whatever you deal with in life.
Celebrities who say cannabis saved their lives, or helped them greatly
While some celebrities won’t go as far as to say that cannabis saved their lives, many openly talk about how it has helped them cope with it. Here are some of the more interesting celebrity cannabis stories.
Lady Gaga
Lady Gaga is one. In a Netflix documentary from 2017, entitled “Gaga: Five Foot Two”, the eccentric pop star explained how she uses cannabis for multiple reasons. Miss Gaga explains that she suffers from fibromyalgia, a not well understood disorder that leaves sufferers in a lot of pain. Lady Gaga uses cannabis to help manage that pain, a nice break from those who run to opiates instead. She also said using cannabis can help her deal with the high level of stress – both physical and mental – that comes with being such a high level performer.
In 2011, in a 60 Minutes interview, she also mentioned how smoking cannabis can help with the creative process of writing music. This isn’t medical, but it does highlight another useful aspect of the drug. While Gaga stated in a 2013 radio interview that at some point she might have used a bit too much, as a result of dealing with hip pain, she clearly never stopped use, and maintains it now at a lower level to help with her health issues
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Willie Nelson
While not all celebrities are so extreme in their statements, Willie Nelson maintains that cannabis indeed saved his life. Back in a 2019 interview with Rolling Stone Magazine, the now 88-year-old musical icon spoke about his history with marijuana, and how it has helped him. In contrast to Lady Gaga, Nelson didn’t bring up medical issues, but instead made this statement about how cannabis helped him stop some of his worst habits, as well as alleviating anger/stress that had a large impact on his earlier life:
“I wouldn’t be alive. It saved my life, really. I wouldn’t have lived 85 years if I’d have kept drinking and smoking like I was when I was 30, 40 years old. I think that weed kept me from wanting to kill people. And probably kept a lot of people from wanting to kill me, too — out there drunk, running around.”
Nelson explains that he first started smoking back in 1954, but said it took him about six months to really feel high. He explains that he was drinking a lot, and taking other substances, which might have impacted how he was able to feel a buzz. He also highlights how cannabis helped with his other more negative drug behaviors, eventually quitting other substances. Nelson has been arrested for cannabis use on several occasions, but was lucky enough not to incur real jail time.
Pete Davidson
Pete Davidson’s story is one of the more interesting ones when it comes to how cannabis has really helped a person. Davidson had been using cannabis to help deal with the excruciating pain that comes with Crohns disease, which he suffers from. This gastrointestinal disorder which causes extreme inflammation in the bowels and damages the digestive tract lining, effects how food is processed, and often leaves sufferers in an extremely painful and weakened physical state.
He mentioned in a Howard Stern Interview in 2018 that there were times he couldn’t get out of bed because of the pain, and that his weight dropped down to 110 pounds. Cannabis has been used quite a bit by Crohn’s sufferers, and on a personal level, I now know three people who have sworn by cannabis as a way of dealing with their own Crohn’s-related pain. Which is also all the people I know with the disorder.
Davidson has some other issues though, and in 2017 he opened up about being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, and how dealing with it led him to more than one rehab stint. Though Davidson actually quit using cannabis for a number of months thinking it was making things worse, he found that after a few months, this was not the case. The meds prescribed to him for his disorder flat out didn’t work, and he went back to cannabis. Now he uses cannabis to help deal with the symptoms of both disorders.
Melissa Ethridge
One of the biggest advocates for cannabis is singer-songwriter Melissa Ethridge, and for very good reason. In 2004, the Come to My Window singer was diagnosed with breast cancer, and started using marijuana at this time. She explained in a CNN article in 2013, “The chemotherapy that was prescribed was called “dose dense”: a harsher, stronger chemo than the usual because I had the benefit of not having to work during the treatment. My close friends told me that, as an alternative, medical marijuana was a natural way to help with the excruciating side effects of chemo.”
She went on to say: “People use marijuana for different reasons, and I needed it to get me through tough times. I used it every day during chemo: It gave me an appetite so I was able to eat and keep my strength up. It also helped with the depression, and it eased the gastrointestinal pain. I have been a medicinal marijuana smoker for nine years now. I find relief from the gastrointestinal effects of the chemo even now. I find it helps with regulating my sleep. I also enjoy it before I watch ‘Game of Thrones’.”
And even more celebrities that say cannabis saved their lives (or greatly improved them)
Michael J. Fox
It should come as no surprise that Michael J Fox relies on medical cannabis. Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s many years ago, and the public has literally watched him deteriorate over those years. Fox started the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, which strongly supports reclassifying the drug, so it can be used for mass medical use.
Tommy Chong
While it’s already expected that Mr. Chong smokes himself some cannabis, what many people might not know, is that cannabis was actually imperative for Chong when dealing with prostate cancer. Chong quit physically smoking the herb, but takes it as oil, and it was a big part of his treatment the first time he had the cancer, and when it came back. The second time around he used cannabis along with radiation, to rid himself of it again.
Morgan Freeman
Similarly to Lady Gaga, Morgan Freeman suffers from fibromyalgia, and the constant pain that comes with it. He made this statement to the Daily Beast: “Marijuana has many useful uses. I have fibromyalgia pain in this arm, and the only thing that offers any relief is marijuana. They’re talking about kids who have grand mal seizures, and they’ve discovered that marijuana eases that down to where these children can have a life. That right there, to me, says, ‘Legalize it across the board!'”
Montel Williams
The former day-time talk show host is a sufferer of central nervous system disorder multiple sclerosis. This disease affects all kinds of things like coordination, causes severe and chronic pain, and leaves sufferers in a state of constant fatigue. My step-sister suffers from this as well, and is blind in one eye because of it. Williams, for his part, has been using cannabis since 1999, after a doctor recommended it, and says that the drug helps him to keep functioning.
The great debate
America is a fantastic example of the current great debate going on worldwide about cannabis, because the country itself is so completely split in terms of the laws that govern cannabis use. To the extent that there are a multitude of legalized locations, right alongside places where prohibition still stands strong. Federal prohibition hasn’t wavered much, apart from the legalization of hemp-based products, but since separate states can call on their states’ rights, there is already a big, and growing divide, between federal mandate, and individual state laws.
Right now in the US, out of 50 states, 18 now have recreational legalizations, with several more on the way. And nearly 40 have medical legalizations. Medical legalizations are sometimes not very clear-cut, and can range from very low availability, and only for a few highly specific disorders, like epilepsy, to massive medical industries where almost anything goes. Some states even set a cap on THC for medical products, allowing only minute amounts. Because of this huge variation, it’s a bit hard to say exactly how many states are legalized medically, because these legalizations vary so greatly, and some might not even be considered full medical legalizations, by some people.
Having said that, literally the grand majority of states, do allow some medical policy. And let’s not forget that the US has five territories: Guam, Mariana Islands, US Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, and American Samoa. And of these five, Guam and the Mariana Islands are already legal for recreational use, with only American Samoa still maintaining complete prohibition. Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands both have medical policies.
On top of all that, there’s also Washington DC, which doesn’t count as a state, but which has its own specific laws. This location too is cannabis legal, although with some interesting caveats, as it is home to the US federal government, which still finds cannabis illegal. Therefore residents have access to recreational cannabis, but only if they grow it, as buying and selling are still illegal.
The idea that so many states have passed legalization measures is interesting in itself. But what’s really striking at this point in the conversation, is how many southern – and even deep south states, like Louisiana – have now adopted policies, whether medical or recreational. This region has been notoriously loud over the years about keeping cannabis illegal, so this bending to new thought patterns is a real sign of overall change. When even holdout states start to fall, you know something very big is happening. With all this in mind, its not shocking that many celebrities are willing to openly talk about their cannabis use. In fact, not only do many use it, but there are plenty of celebrities willing to speak about how cannabis saved their lives.
Conclusion
We constantly talk about the desire for legalized recreational cannabis, but sometimes its good to remember that getting stoned isn’t what it’s about for a lot of people. Whereas many people feel they can’t speak freely about these issues in their personal lives, the ability for celebrities to do so on a main stage allows doors to be opened that the rest of us can benefit from.
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Not every celebrity uses their status for helpful reasons, but the celebrities mentioned in this article, are, by coming out and candidly talking about their medical issues, and how cannabis has helped save their lives, or at least helped them to live a better one. Some are so into it, in fact, that they’ve started their own companies – to service both the recreational and medical communities!
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Disclaimer: Hi, I’m a researcher and writer. I’m not a doctor, lawyer, or businessperson. All information in my articles is sourced and referenced, and all opinions stated are mine. I am not giving anyone advise, and though I am more than happy to discuss topics, should someone have a further question or concern, they should seek guidance from a relevant professional.