Morgan Freeman’s calm yet authoritative voice has unabashedly joined the fight for federal marijuana reform.
In a recent interview with The Daily Beast, the 77-year-old Oscar winner spoke candidly about his own pot use and his stance on legalization.
“Marijuana has many useful uses,” he said. “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!'”
According to Freeman, the legalization movement hinges on one basic fact that many on the opposing side fail to grasp.
“Now, the thrust is understanding that alcohol has no real medicinal use,” Freeman said. “Maybe if you have one drink it’ll quiet you down, but two or three and you’re fucked.”
In addition to touting all the medical benefits of marijuana, Freeman also pointed out that negative effects of pot are rare.
“Look at Woodstock 1969,” he explained. “They said, ‘We’re not going to bother them or say anything about smoking marijuana,’ and not one problem or fight. Then look at what happened in ’99.”
The actor’s own experience with marijuana dates back to 2008, when a car accident left him with shattered bones in his arm, and he found that marijuana effectively alleviated his pain. He has since been an outspoken advocate of legalization but now says that the movement is “getting legs—longer legs.”
“They used to say, ‘You smoke that stuff, boy, you get hooked!'” Freeman chuckled. “My first wife got me into it many years ago. How do I take it? However it comes! I’ll eat it, drink it, smoke, snort it!”
We’d say the man who basically narrates everyone’s life has hit the nail (and rig) on the head.
