Paul McCartney Quits Pot for Daughter's Sake

Sir Paul's 48-year love affair with cannabis reaches The End.

Paul McCartney, a guy who used to be in a band, and then another band that wasn't nearly as good, has decided at the ripe old age of 69 to stop smoking pot. Sir Paul, who smoked his first joint with Bob Dylan while touring through the U.S. with the Beatles in 1964, says he gave up his decades-long habit so that he can be a more responsible parent to his eight-year-old daughter, Beatrice. (Apparently, his other four children weren't worth quitting for, not that it really harmed Stella all that much.) McCartney had smoked pot pretty consistently since 1964, and has said that any use of the words "high" or "grass" in his songs were explicit references to cannabis. "Got to Get You Into My Life," off of Revolver, is devoted entirely to the funny little herb. McCartney's love of marijuana has also got him into legal trouble over the years. In 1972, British authorities raided his castle in Scotland and found numerous pot plants, and in 1980, while touring with Wings, he was arrested in Japan for trying to bring in nearly eight ounces of weed for an 11-show tour. (For the uninitiated, that is a lot of pot to smoke in three weeks.) However, being essentially perma-baked for the last 50 years didn't do much to inhibit his career, as the Guinness Book of World Records lists him as the most successful songwriter and composer in the history of pop music.

Things That Paul McCartney's Pot-Smoking Lasted Longer Than:

• The Beatles

• Wings

• His first three marriages, combined

• John Lennon's life

• Ringo Starr's solo career

• The reigns of Moammar Gadhafi and Hosni Mubarak

• The self he references in 'When I'm 64'

• VHS, Betamax, cassette tapes, eight-track

• The Who, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and The Kinks, but not the Rolling Stones.