Country music icon Willie Nelson, 92, is making a major lifestyle change — but don’t worry, he’s not stepping away from music. Instead, he’s hanging up a habit that’s long been part of his persona; smoking weed.
In a new interview with Forbes on Saturday, June 7, Nelson revealed that he’s officially quit smoking.
When asked how he stays “young on the road,” he responded candidly: “I can’t smoke anymore. My lungs have already said, ‘Don’t do that.’ So, I don’t really do anything now much except a few edibles.”
Though he’s stopped lighting up, Nelson still owns and operates his cannabis company, Willie’s Reserve — and he’s been a vocal advocate for marijuana legalization for years.
“It’s just a matter of time in this country before it’s legal,” he told Rolling Stone a decade ago.
“I feel like I bought so much, it’s time to start selling it back! I will make sure it’s good or it won’t be on sale. There should be a menu just like in a restaurant because there’s so many different kinds of pot that do many different things.”
Nelson has long emphasized quality and transparency in his brand, and he’s also been open about the cultural impact of weed. “I think it’s good — the people like it from what I’ve seen and heard,” he said. “It’s getting to be pretty popular out there.”
Back in 2019, Nelson also gave up smoking cigarettes. At the time, his publicist clarified to PEOPLE that while he stopped smoking tobacco, he still “tastes the flower” and hadn’t changed his marijuana use — until now.
Over the years, Nelson has famously smoked with several celebrities, including Snoop Dogg. “We smoked a lot of marijuana and had a lot of fun,” he told PEOPLE in February, recalling a time in Amsterdam when he invited the rapper to join him.
Yet, perhaps one of the most legendary tales — Nelson once smoked pot on the roof of the White House.
Former President Jimmy Carter later revealed that despite Nelson’s claim that he shared it with a White House “servant,” it was actually one of Carter’s sons.
“He didn’t want to categorize him as a pot-smoker like him,” Carter joked in the documentary Jimmy Carter: Rock & Roll President.
While Nelson may be putting down the pipe, he’s staying busy with new music. His latest album, Oh What a Beautiful World, is all about spreading joy.
“I think it’s time we try to make people happy and talk about the good things and be positive,” he told Forbes.
