Willie Nelson: We’re winning the pot war

Willie Nelson is hoping the "dark ages are finally behind us" in the mission to get marijuana legalised.

The 82-year-old country singing legend has been passionate about decriminalising the drug throughout the United States for years.

And after learning more about the medicinal benefits of marijuana, Willie feels even more enthusiastic about his quest.

"I'm more passionate than ever about this cause," Willie told Billboard magazine. "I was recently encouraged to read about parents travelling to Colorado and Oregon where they could legally obtain marijuana so that, under a doctor's care, their children's seizures could be effectively treated. When it comes to pot, the dark ages may finally be behind us.

"It has been 25 years since I campaigned for Gatewood Galbrath, a Lexington, Kentucky, lawyer running for governor with a let's-legalise-pot policy. We lost that battle, but now it looks like we're winning the war. The decriminalisation of marijuana is a growing and unstoppable movement. The good uses of hemp - for agriculture, clothing or the relief of serious pain - are well documented and irrefutable. Old prejudices die hard, but the anti-pot bias of a misinformed establishment is not long for this world."

Willie has always used his fame to further the causes he believes in the most. As well as the battle to legalise marijuana, Willie set up the nonprofit organisation Farm Aid back in 1985. Their first fundraising concert raised $7 million and the annual event has raised $48 million to date, with proceeds going to help family farmers in the United States.

He believes the world is more charitable today than it used to be when he was growing up, but insists it's all about staying positive.

"In the past 30 years, that impulse - to address the pressing issues of our times - has strengthened," Willie said. "It goes beyond respecting the folks who grow our food. It even goes beyond the quality of the food itself. It's about loving Mother Earth. Because we love her, we study her. And that study reveals her desperate state. It demands that we protect her from greedy and lethal exploitation.

"We need to be proactive about championing the causes that will preserve our natural resources and maintain a high quality of human and animal life. It's a monumental task, but I have a deep belief in humanity. There are millions of good people committed to do the right thing. It's just a matter of harnessing our energy, staying positive, remaining organised and fighting the good fight."