I'm finally giving up cannabis for my little girl says Macca as Beatrice forces the 69-year-old to grow up

He was a drug-taking hippy at the heart of the Sixties revolution but Paul McCartney has finally decided to call time on his past - and quit smoking cannabis.

The former Beatle said he had developed a ‘sense of responsibility' while raising his eight-year-old daughter, Beatrice.

He also revealed that the Fab Four had considered reuniting at one point but decided they did not want to ‘spoil the idea of the Beatles'.

In a magazine interview, Sir Paul said of his cannabis habit: ‘I did a lot, and it was enough.

‘I smoked my share. When you're bringing up a youngster, your sense of responsibility does kick in, if you're lucky, at some point.

‘Enough's enough - you just don't seem to think it's necessary.'

Sir Paul has a self-confessed passion for marijuana.

He has also been in trouble for drugs more times than bandmate John Lennon ever was, despite Lennon's reputation as a heavy user.

Sir Paul, 69, was introduced to cannabis by Bob Dylan, who was stunned to learn he was a ‘pot virgin' - in the mid-Sixties. After that came heroin, cocaine, LSD and a range of other psychedelics which inspired some of the Beatles' best known songs.

Sir Paul's rap sheet for drugs is almost as long as his list of hits.
Just say no: Sir Paul on stage at the annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles last weekend

Just say no: Sir Paul on stage at the annual Grammy Awards ceremony in Los Angeles last weekend

He was arrested for cannabis possession in Sweden and at his Scottish farm in 1972.

In 1980 he was deported from Japan after officials found half a pound of marijuana in his luggage.

But he said he could not quit because cannabis was ‘such good stuff'.

Four years later he was arrested in Barbados with first wife Linda - with whom he reportedly smoked every day - after buying some on a beach.

He seems to have temporarily quit during his second marriage to Heather Mills, who gave him an ultimatum: her or the drugs.

During their divorce, Miss Mills claimed Sir Paul would use cannabis as regularly as others drink cups of tea and that he could hardly warn their daughter Beatrice about the dangers of drugs while he was nipping out for a ‘sneaky puff'.

Sir Paul has four adult children but did not explain why bringing them up did not stop him from smoking cannabis.

As to why the Beatles did not reform as so many other classic bands have done, Sir Paul said that ‘there was more passion behind retiring' than getting back together.

He added: ‘We'd all said, very convincingly, "We've come full circle".

‘And more importantly, it could have been so wrong that it spoiled the whole idea of the Beatles; so wrong that they'd be like, "Oh, my God, they weren't any good". So the re-formation suggestions were never convincing enough.'

Talking to Rolling Stone, Sir Paul - who married third wife Nancy Shevell in October - opened up about plans to keep on performing into his 80s.

He said: ‘You get the argument "make way for the young kids", and you think, "F*** that, let them make way for themselves. If they're better than me, they'll beat me".' But he is making tours shorter and scheduling them around when he has custody of Beatrice.

Sir Paul also revealed that even though he regards the Queen as a ‘pretty cool lady' and will perform at her Diamond Jubilee concert, he has mixed feelings about the monarchy.

‘I see the argument of anti-monarchists because it's an amazingly old-fashioned affair.

‘But I say, "Who are we going to have lead our country in the big celebrations, opening the Olympics: David Cameron? Tony Blair?" I'm not sure about that.'

17/02/2012 http://www.dailymail.co.uk