FORMER NBA STAR LAMAR ODOM WAS FOUND UNCONSCIOUS AT A NEVADA BROTHEL,
AND HE REMAINS UNCONSCIOUS IN A
HOSPITAL AS A RESULT OF ALLEGED DRUG USE.
THERE ARE FEW DETAILS
RIGHT NOW AS TO WHICH DRUGS HE TOOK, OF COURSE THERE ARE LOTS
OF SPECULATIONS BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT HE HAS DEALT WITH
SUBSTANCE ABUSE ISSUES FOR A LONG TIME.
THOSE WHO WORKED AT
THE BROTHEL CLAIM THAT HE HAD
TAKEN AN HERBAL SUPPLEMENT, SIMILAR TO SOMETHING LIKE
VIAGRA, AND WHEN AUTHORITIES FOUND HIM, AGAIN, HE WAS
UNCONSCIOUS AND WAS RUSHED TO
THE HOSPITAL.
HE WAS MARRIED TO KHLOE KARDASHIAN, AND SHE IS IN FACT
STILL LEGALLY MARRIED TO HIM, SO
SHE IS MAKING DECISIONS ABOUT HIS HEALTH.
PLEASE PUT YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT THE
KARDASHIAN'S ASIDE, BECAUSE WHAT SHE IS GOING THROUGH AND
WHAT LAMAR ODOM'S FAMILY IS GOING THROUGH IS DEVASTATING.
FOUR OF HIS ORGANS, INCLUDING HIS KIDNEYS, ARE FAILING.
HE'S HAD A SERIES OF STROKES IN THE HOSPITAL AND HAS HEART
PROBLEMS AS WELL.
THIS DOES NOT LOOK GOOD.
TMZ IS DOING A LOT OF THIS
REPORTING, OBVIOUSLY THEY COVER ENTERTAINMENT.
THEY ARE SAYING
HE HAS A 50-50 CHANCE TO LIVE.
THE MORE THAT HIS ORGANS SHUT
DOWN, IT CREATES PROBLEMS FOR OTHER ORGANS AND BECOMES A
VICIOUS CYCLE.
THEY ARE NOT SURE IF HE HAS SUFFERED BRAIN DAMAGE IN
ANY OF THE STROKES.
THEY DON'T KNOW YET, BUT THAT IS ALSO
POSSIBLE.
SO THERE IS A LOT TO WORRY ABOUT HERE.
SO, LOOK, I
AM GOING TO MAKE A POLICY POINT ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT
WE DO.
WE TRY TO HAVE INTERESTING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT
THINGS THAT ARE IN THE NEWS, AND OBVIOUSLY THIS IS A TRAGEDY.
BUT BEYOND THAT, LOOK, WE ARGUE FOR DRUG LEGALIZATION ALL THE
TIME.
THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU SHOULD TAKE EVERY DRUG UNDER
THE ROOF.
PART OF THE REASON WE ARGUE FOR DRUG LEGALIZATION IS
BECAUSE IT ACTUALLY REDUCES
PEOPLE TAKING ILLEGAL DRUGS.
IN THIS CASE I DON'T KNOW IF IT WAS
A VITAMIN SUPPLEMENT, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT IS LEGAL OR
ILLEGAL, BUT HE CLEARLY HAD A DRUG ADDICTION THAT HE HAS BEEN
WRESTLING WITH FOR A LONG TIME.
YOU CAN TAKE THE MONEY FROM LEGALIZING AND PUT IT TOWARDS
MORE AWARENESS.
THIS IS NOT A THEORY, PORTUGAL HAS DONE IT,
MANY OTHER COUNTRIES HAVE DONE IT AND DRUG USE HAS GONE DOWN,
NOT UP.
AS WE SAY THAT DRUGS SHOULD BE LEGAL, BECAUSE IT ONLY
CREATES GANGS AND MORE CRIME MAKING IT ILLEGAL, IT DOES
NOT MEAN IT IS A GOOD THING.
BUT HERE IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU LEGALIZE IT.
SOME PEOPLE
MIGHT THINK, ISN'T IT COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO LEGALIZE
ALL OF THESE DRUGS IF YOU ARE TRYING TO COUNTERACT DRUG
ADDICTION?
ACTUALLY NO.
SINCE WE HAVE CRIMINALIZED ALL OF
THESE HARD SUBSTANCES, OFTEN TIMES WHEN SOMEONE IS CAUGHT UP
IN AN ADDICTION, THEY DON'T SEEK THE HELP THAT THEY NEED BECAUSE
THEY ARE WORRIED ABOUT BEING CRIMINALIZED.
THEY WORRY ABOUT
THESE TOUGH ON CRIME LAWS.
WHEN IT COMES TO LAMAR ODOM, HE HAS
HAD A HISTORY WITH METH USE AND LOTS OF HARD DRUGS, NOT JUST
MARIJUANA, SO THIS GOES WAY BEYOND THE SCOPE OF MARIJUANA
CONVERSATIONS THAT WE HAVE HAD
ON THE SHOW BEFORE.
BUT IT IS IMPORTANT TO HAVE RESOURCES
AVAILABLE TO PEOPLE SO THAT THEY CAN GET THE HELP THAT THEY NEED.
HE HAS BEEN DEALING WITH DRUG ISSUES SINCE THE EARLY 2000'S,
HE WAS SUSPENDED MULTIPLE TIMES FROM THE NBA BECAUSE HE TESTED
POSITIVE FOR DRUGS.
HIS BEST FRIEND RECENTLY COMMITTED
SUICIDE.
HE IS GOING THROUGH A LOT.
IT IS SUCH A DEVASTATING STORY TO READ THAT HE IS GOING THROUGH
THIS, AND WE NEED TO COME UP WITH REAL SOLUTIONS TO HELP
PEOPLE IN SITUATIONS LIKE THIS.
I DON'T WANT ANYONE TO BE CONFUSED, HE DOES NOT HAVE A
MARIJUANA PROBLEM, HE HAS A HARD
DRUG PROBLEM.
HE IS RICH AND FAMOUS, A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK
THAT BEING RICH AND FAMOUS MIGHT CURE YOU OF YOUR INSECURITIES,
OR WHATEVER AILS YOU
PSYCHOLOGICALLY.
IT TURNS OUT THAT IT DOES NOT, AND MONEY DOES
NOT DO IT EITHER, BECAUSE HE HAD PLENTY OF BOTH.
AT THE SAME
TIME, I DO GET FRUSTRATED AT PEOPLE WHO WERE IN HIS
SITUATION.
EASY FOR ME TO SAY, I DON'T HAVE THE ISSUES THAT HE
HAS, AND I DID NOT LIVE THE LIFE THAT HE DID, SO I AM NOT TRYING
TO JUDGE HIM.
I AM JUST TRYING TO SAY THAT IF YOU DO HAVE
THIS MONEY AND THIS FAME, AND
THE ADVANTAGES THAT HE HAS, I FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE A
RESPONSIBILITY TO THE REST OF HUMANITY TO ENJOY THE GREAT
GIFTS THAT YOU HAVE.
I WISH THAT HE COULD HAVE FOUND A
POSITIVE WAY TO DO THAT, AND MAYBE HE RECOVERS AND THIS SNAPS
HIM OUT OF IT.
MAYBE HE DOES WIND UP LIVING THAT GREAT LIFE,
BUT FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T
HAVE MONEY, TRY TO ENJOY IT.
I KNOW THAT IT IS EASY TO SAY BECAUSE I DID NOT GROW UP IN HIS
LIFE, AND I AM SURE THAT HE HAD A HOST OF ISSUES NO MATTER HOW
MUCH MONEY HE HAD, BUT SO MANY PEOPLE DON'T HAVE WHAT YOU HAVE.
JUST TRY TO AT LEAST HAVE GRATITUDE FOR IT AND GET
THE MOST OUT OF IT.
I AM NOT EVEN SAYING GIVE IT AWAY.
I AM SAYING AT LEAST ENJOY IT, ENJOY YOUR LIFE.
YEAH, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES, NOT SOMETIMES, OFTEN TIMES WHEN
PEOPLE HAVE A DRUG ADDICTION, IT DOESN'T MATTER WHAT PRIVILEGES
YOU HAVE, THE OPPORTUNITIES YOU HAVE BEEN GIVEN OR HOW GREAT
YOUR LIFE IS, IT TAKES HOLD OF YOU.
IT IS VERY EASY TO NOT
ONLY FORGET, IT IS NOT EVEN A FACTOR IN YOUR THINKING, BECAUSE
YOU ARE TAKEN OVER BY THE
SUBSTANCES.
I REALLY HOPE HE RECOVERS, THIS IS SUCH A
HEARTBREAKING STORY.
DON'T DO HARD DRUGS.
WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO METH FOR?
THAT'S CRAZY.
THE BEST CASE SCENARIO IS YOU ROT YOUR TEETH AWAY, YOU GO
THROUGH HELL AND THEN YOU RECOVER.
THAT'S THE BEST CASE SCENARIO.
YOU WANT TO SMOKE POT?
HAVE AT IT, SMOKE POT AND DRINK A BEER.
DON'T GO DOWN THIS ROAD, IT DOESN'T END WELL.
LAMAR ODOM, WITH ALL THE MONEY AND THE FAME IN THE WORLD
COULDN'T RECOVER.
WHAT CHANCE DO YOU HAVE?