Willie Nelson Admits He Is Quitting Smoking

The legendary country singer, songwriter, and activist, Willie Nelson has announced he’d stop smoking weed due to breathing issues, he said to KSAT.

News that startled everyone, Nelson, 86, went on to an interview on KSAT in the middle of his 2 sold-out nights at the Majestic Theater in San Antonio, and stated he’s not smoking weed anymore. He said that he has abused his “lungs quite a bit in the past, so breathing is a little more difficult these days”. “I have to be careful”, he explained, saying that he stopped because he needs to take better care of himself today.

According to CNN, the Texan had to postpone his final tour dates of last August due to breathing issues as well and resumed the tour the following month. And last month, during the Country Music Association Awards, he seemed to have difficulty to breathe during a performance with Kacey Musgraves, but Nelson made it to the end of the show.

But the musician is far from quitting the stages, he says that he “loves the bus” and that touring and playing live is his key to happiness and good health. He explains that to him it is like “an exchange of energy” in which “They give me a lot of positive energy, and I hope to give them a lot of positive energy”, adding that it’s an hour in which “they get away from everything they don’t like.”

Antecedents activism and health

Willie is well known for his activism pro-legalization of Marihuana usage, even participating on the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) and now has stopped smoking it, but that is, according to his publicist the keyword, since he is not smoking it to protect his lungs, but there are other ways to use the drug.

During the ’80s, Nelson was both Tobacco and Marijuana user, smoking regularly both substances until one day in Hawaii his lungs collapsed, at that time he had to cancel several shows, as he was too sick to do so. Nelson would regularly stop smoking cigarettes when he was sick and would return to them as soon as he started to feel better.

He reminds of it when he says, “I started smoking cedar bark, went from that to cigarettes to whatever… and that almost killed me.”

This caused Nelson to finally decide to stop smoking either of the substances, and eventually quit tobacco to preserve his lungs as healthy as possible. His love and known predilection for Cannabis and its uses have brought him a lot of trouble since he’s been to jail on multiple occasions for possession starting in the ’70s and during the 2000’s he’s been the same, carrying some Kush for himself and others.

When asked for the rumors about his health or even his death Nelson is said, “I don´t give a ****, I’m here, I’m glad to be here, I’m lucky to be here”, he said, KSAT.

The interview also touched in many other episodes on the country icon’s life, remembering the multiple songs Willie Nelson has written about weed as he was mentioned on country singer Toby Keith’s “Weed with Nelson”, about some backstage blunt passing in 2003. Or the 2015 song he sang with Merle Haggard “It’s All Going to Pot”.

The love of Willie for weed goes on and beyond as he said on a 2015 article of GQ, where he talked about a really interesting story, to say the least. It was when he smoked weed on the roof of the White House during the Carter Administration, with the president’s middle son, Chip.

This Year we saw Nelson as the cover of the Rolling Stone Magazine smoking a joint and saying it saved his life, and that it was his medicine. That is also the title of a song he recorded with non-other than Snoop-Dogg.

And at the end of the year ironically, he’s partly quitted his medicine for his well-being. Due to his age, we understand why: he is not a young horse, running his first Kentucky Derby. We wish Nelson stays around, as healthy as possible for a few more years!