Paul McCartney Calls for Cannabis to be Decriminalised (1984)

In January 1984, Paul McCartney called for cannabis to be decriminalised in an impromptu press conference at London Airport. The former Beatles member was confronted by a press mob when he and his wife, Linda McCartney, were returning from a holiday in Barbados – where Paul had been charged with possession of cannabis. The musician's deft handling of the interview drew laughter from bystanders.

McCartney's relationship with cannabis is well-established in music legend. The Beatles' song "Got to Get You Into My Life" was written by McCartney after he, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr were introduced to the drug by Bob Dylan in 1964. McCartney was also arrested for cannabis possession in Japan in 1980, four years before this interview. Initially facing a seven-year sentence of hard labour, the star was deported back to Britain after spending just 10 days in a Japanese jail.

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