The Beatles' Paul McCartney Quits Marijuana, Turns to Red Wine & Margarita

Rock legend, Paul McCartney, has quit smoking marijuana for his children and grandchildren. The member of the classic rock band, The Beatles, says he prefers drinking red wine or margaritas instead of smoking pot these days.

According to The Blaze, the 72-years-old singer-songwriter revealed in an interview with Daily Mirror that he gave up smoking pot for his family. 

"I don't do [marijuana] anymore. Why? The truth is I don't really want to set an example to my kids and grandkids. It's now a parent thing," he says during the interview.

McCartney has tried quitting the said vice several times before. One of his attempts was during his second marriage to Heather Mills in 2002. Mills reportedly made the singer choose between her and smoking pot.

Their marriage later on ended in a divorce, with Mills stating during the proceeding that McCartney smoked pot as regularly as others drink tea, reports Daily Mail.

McCartney then considered quitting again in 2012, after raising Beatrice—his fifth child—but obviously he did not follow through with it.

McCartney claims, "The last time I smoked was a long time ago."

However, he revealed that in order for him to keep distance from using marijuana he has turned to different substances to satisfy his petty cravings. 

He says, "Instead of smoking a spiff I'll now have a glass of red wine or a nice margarita."

McCartney was reportedly first introduced to cannabis by another music legend, Bob Dylan.

Dylan allegedly introduced the addicting substance to the young artist in the mid-sixties, a few years after The Beatles released "Please Please Me," the band's debut album.

 In 1972, McCartney was fined for possession of the drug in Sweden and the following year he was charged with illegal cultivation of cannabis.

While in the '80s, the Beatles songwriter was found to have possessed marijuana in his luggage while they were in Japan. As a result, he spent 10 days in jail in Japan and was later released without any charges.

Quitting was probably very difficult for McCartney, whose band members were also into smoking weed.

Ultimate Classic Rock has learned that the members of the well-known rock band were prominent supports of the legalization of marijuana back in the day.

In fact, The Beatles, along with other British citizens, had signed an advertisement with the Times for the legalization of marijuana. The advertisement stated, "...law against marijuana is immoral in principle and unworkable in practice."

Meanwhile, McCartney has now come clean of his former vice and is putting the past behind him.

He even says, "I did a lot and it was enough. I smoked my share. When you're bringing up a youngster, your sense of responsibility does kick in, if you're lucky, at some point. Enough's enough."