EXCLUSIVE: Michael Jackson 'Was a Secret Stoner for Years' — 'He Thought Drug Abuse Was OK'
Michael Jackson is said to have had no problem doing drugs.
May 10 2026, Published 2:00 p.m. ET
Michael Jackson privately believed drug use was an acceptable way to "escape from life" and spent years secretly smoking marijuana at Neverland, RadarOnline.com can reveal.
According to explosive new claims that have reignited scrutiny around the late singer's troubled final years, Jackson – who died in 2009 aged 50 from acute propofol intoxication – allegedly spent years using cannabis to relax, fuel his creativity, and cope with mounting personal pressures.
Jackson viewed drug use as a necessary escape from reality, according to his crisis publicist.
That's according to crisis publicist Vincent Amen, who made the claim during a revealing interview about his time working inside the singer's inner circle.
Amen was brought onto Jackson's team by longtime friend Frank Cascio after the Thriller performer faced child molestation allegations.
The publicist said he spent time living at Jackson's Neverland Ranch in California and witnessed how the singer's private habits were carefully hidden from public view while aides worked to protect his increasingly fragile image.
'It Helped Him Creatively'
Aides are said to have hidden Jackson's private habits from public view.
One source familiar with Jackson's inner circle claimed the singer normalized drug use in a way that alarmed some people around him.
Our insider said: "Michael convinced himself that drug abuse was OK because he saw it as a form of escape rather than addiction. He surrounded himself with enablers who rarely challenged him."
Another source said the singer's marijuana use had become "an open secret" among trusted associates.
They added: "People close to Michael knew he relied on drugs to calm himself and cope with stress. He did not view marijuana as dangerous at all and thought it helped him creatively."
Michael Jackson's Escape
The King of Pop is said to have used marijuana to get his creative juices flowing.
Speaking on a podcast, Amen described conversations he said he had with Jackson and Cascio about the singer's attitude toward drugs.
He revealed: "I know from conversations with Frank and Michael that it was disclosed that Michael said, 'Marijuana use and some drug use is ok.' We all need an escape from life. And that was Michael's escape – the drugs."
Amen also alleged marijuana was discreetly delivered to Neverland through private couriers rather than standard shipping companies.
He said: "They would courier marijuana up through a courier, not through like FedEx, but a private courier to bring him his marijuana from the city of LA. So Michael would have it when he was in his music studio."
New Abuse Lawsuit Intensifies Scrutiny Around Jackson Legacy
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The Cascio siblings filed a lawsuit against the Jackson estate in March.
The allegations come amid renewed controversy surrounding Jackson's legacy after several members of the Cascio family filed a lawsuit against the singer's estate in March, accusing him of years of abuse.
Siblings Edward Cascio, Dominic Cascio, Marie-Nicole Cascio and Aldo Cascio allege Jackson "groomed and brainwashed" them while they were minors after befriending the family through their father, who worked at a luxury hotel frequented by the singer.
According to a legal complaint seen by Radar, the siblings are accusing Jackson of supplying them with drugs and alcohol, exposing them to pornography and sexually abusing them over a period spanning more than a decade.
The filing stated: "Michael Jackson was a serial child predator who, over the course of more than a decade, drugged, raped and sexually assaulted each of the plaintiffs, beginning when some were as young as seven or eight."
It further alleged the abuse took place in multiple locations worldwide, including visits to the Cascio family home while Jackson traveled with his own children.
Attorney Marty Singer, representing Jackson's estate, strongly denied the allegations and branded the lawsuit "a desperate money grab by additional members of the Cascio family who have hopped on the bandwagon with their brother Frank, who is already being sued in arbitration for civil extortion."
Singer also argued the claims contradicted decades of public support previously expressed by the Cascio family, including passages in Frank Cascio's 2011 memoir and interviews defending Jackson against accusations of misconduct.
