Willie Nelson has recently revealed that he no longer smokes, speculating that he might have stopped smoking marijuana.
Nelson’s spokeswoman Elaine Schock told PEOPLE he does indeed “still taste the flower.”
Schock said, “Willie doesn’t smoke any more or any less [weed].” She confirmed that Nelson no longer smokes cigarettes.
Nelson told KSAT in San Antonia, “I don’t smoke anymore. I take better care of myself.”
The 86-year-old musician had to cancel his tour because of some breathing problems over the summer.
He said, “I have abused my lungs quite a bit in the past, so breathing is a little more difficult these days and I have to be careful.”
“I’ve mistreated my lungs since I was [young]. I started smoking cedar bark, went from that to cigarettes to whatever. And that almost killed me,” he continued.
There were rumors circulating that he had a near-death experience, which prompted him to cancel his shows. Responding to the rumors, Nelson said, “I don’t give a s**t. I’m here, I’m glad to be here. I’m lucky to be here.”
In fact, he said continuing to tour has actually been helping him.
He said, “Singing out there for an hour is a good workout. Your lungs are the biggest muscle you’ve got. So when you’re out there working, you are working out.”
Nelson has his own line of marijuana products called “Willie’s Reserve.” In 2015, he said, “I feel like I bought so much, it’s time to start selling it back!”
Once, Nelson convinced Woody Harrelson to start smoking marijuana again after the actor took a 2-year break from it.
Last year, Harrelson said, “He was never comfortable with me quitting, it just bothered him. I would always say, ‘Willie you know I’m not smoking,’ He would always do the same thing like he was hearing it for the first time, ‘Oh really? Sorry!’ This happened like 500 times.”
However, Nelson had Harrelson to smoke up after a poker game. Harrelson added, “I was in a celebratory mood and he hands me that pin and I was just snatched and it was like ‘ah, f**k it.’ I take a big draw of it and he says ‘Welcome home, son.’”
