Michael Douglas Admits Hallucinogenics Were 'an Important Part' of His Life: 'Grateful'

Michael Douglas spoke out about his use of hallucinogenics in the 1960s.

Appearing on the "Joe Rogan Experience" podcast in mid-October, the Hollywood legend shared what using these substances gave him at the time and why he's "grateful" for them.

During his conversation with host Joe Rogan, Douglas explained that he moved out West from his East Coast upbringing for college and, "in one year, '62-'63, I go from a preppy to a hippie," he said.

"I found that hallucinogenics were an extraordinary experience and were an important part of my life, but I got busy, didn't have the time," he continued. "But the rhythm that they taught me and the visualities and their pace played an important part, and I'm so grateful. I'm 82 now and to see in these recent years that, in terms of PTSD and other issues, they are beginning to find ... drug addiction, they're finding a positive use."

Indeed, recent studies have been exploring the potential role of hallucinogenics in treating certain mental health issues.

With that said, Douglas' experiences with drugs weren't all positive.

"The drug culture — pot and everything — was just part of the culture," he said in an interview earlier this month.

"But then it did get darker. And then, be careful what you wish for, because when my career got really busy, both as an actor and having a production company . . . between that and my first marriage with Diandra, which was having difficulties, and my son Cameron, who was having drug issues himself, I was overwhelmed, [under] a lot of pressure and began to get more involved with cocaine. I think it was a large part of the failure of my first marriage and going for rehab. But then I thought, it’s important to talk about it."

As a young man, Douglas also turned to bringing drugs from the West Coast to sell on the East Coast, where it went for much more money.

"When I turned 21, Dad wrote me a check for $10,000 and said, 'Great son, you’re on your own.' I said, 'Well, Dad, this is wonderful, but I’ve got a couple of years of tuition left in school…'" Douglas recalled on Real Time with Bill Maher.

"One time I said, 'Dad, you remember one Christmas you bought me two beautiful Italian soft leather suitcases? Well, I found out that each one of those suitcases could hold 22 kilos of marijuana.' I would go back east to see my mom with the clothes on my back and two suitcases. This was called BD: Before Dogs," he recalled.

Douglas' new memoir, One Helluva Ride, was released on October 6 and contains all sorts of interesting anecdotes.

One that made particular waves was his admission of a 40-year-old affair with his Romancing the Stone costar Kathleen Turner, which the two had always denied until now.