Singer George Michael has said marijuana helps inspire him but admits it can be a "terrible drug".
- Oct 21, 2006
AceShowbiz - No stranger to controversy, George Michael provokes one after another after the singer, during a taped chat shot in Madrid and set to air Oct. 31 on Britain's South Bank Show Special, praised marijuana, saying "This stuff keeps me sane and happy. I couldn't write without it. I'd say it's a great drug."
However, in the interview with ITV during which he openly smokes a cannabis joint, the controversial singer also said that marijuana "obviously is not very healthy." He went on saying, "It's very good for creative people. But it can be a terrible, terrible drug."
The 43-year-old pop superstar admits cannabis has dampened his ambition but is the only drug he doesn't regret taking. Also he added, "You must have achieved most of your ambitions before you try it because it chills you out and you lose your ambition."
Despite all, the pop singer's actions prompted a U.K. mental health charity to brand him "stupid and naive" for lighting up on TV. "As a huge international star any public comments will draw enormous attention," said Paul Corry, spokesman for Rethink, a mental health charity. "Cannabis is not a risk-free drug. For a significant minority of people, it is a trigger for developing a severe long-term mental illness like schizophrenia."
