Loretta Lynn on Smoking Pot for First Time: ‘My God, I’m Gonna Die’

When it comes to pot, Loretta Lynn would rather pass than puff. During an exclusive performance and Q&A with SiriusXM at her Hurricane Mills, Tennessee, ranch on December 6th, the 84-year-old country legend recalled a bad first experience with marijuana when she tried smoking a joint as a way to combat glaucoma earlier this year. (Listen to the interview below.)

“Somebody said, ‘Hey, it’s time you smoke marijuana,'” Lynn told host Elizabeth Cook, adding that her mother had “smoked all her life.” “I took one little thing off of that thing. It hit me in the chest and I thought, ‘My God, I’m gonna die.’ I ain’t smokin’ anymore. So I decided if you either go blind or smoke marijuana, I’ll just go blind.” 

Lynn also revealed her son-in-law was responsible for supplying the infamous joint, and talked about the first time she met Willie Nelson. 

The SiriusXM event celebrated White Christmas Blue, Lynn’s new holiday album. The interview and performance airs December 16th at 6:00 p.m. ET on Willie Nelson’s SiriusXM channel Willie’s Roadhouse. Repeat airings will take place on various stations, including Outlaw Country and Country Christmas, throughout the holiday season.

Last week, Lynn’s other 2016 release, Full Circle, earned a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album.