Sharon Stone Quits Cannabis After Stroke-Related Health Struggles

Actress Sharon Stone announced she has stopped smoking marijuana, describing the withdrawal as comparable to “going off of fucking heroin.” After a near-fatal stroke in 2001, she was placed on multiple prescription drugs. In September of the previous year she was told she could not discontinue one of those medications, prompting a prolonged illness that lasted four and a half months. Determined to live “drug-free,” Stone decided to quit cannabis, noting that modern products contain “so much stuff” and that she became ill for a month after stopping.

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Stone’s stroke in 2001 led to a regimen of stroke-related medications that she gradually reduced over the years. The most recent attempt to taper a drug resulted in severe sickness, which she likened to heroin withdrawal. Her neurologist warned her about the dangers of marijuana, saying he had seen “people dying in the emergency room from marijuana.” Stone’s decision to quit cannabis is part of a broader effort to reclaim her health after decades of medical treatment.

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During the COVID-19 lockdown Stone revived a long-standing interest in fine arts, converting a bedroom into a makeshift studio and eventually moving her work to a guest house. She now sells paintings in galleries worldwide and has returned to modeling, walking the Vetements menswear runway in Paris—the first runway appearance in 33 years. Stone also discussed potential Broadway projects, including a punk-era adaptation of “Mame” and a gender-swap version of “La Cage Aux Folles.”

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Stone’s son Roan, who manages her Instagram, overhauled her feed, boosting engagement but also prompting backlash. Followers wrote “nasty letters” and expressed outrage when Stone stopped following them, treating the digital connection as a “real relationship.” Stone acknowledged the criticism, noting the complaints as reminiscent of a conversation her father had with her in the 1970s.

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• “I got off one of my medications that I was on for my stroke last September, and they said I couldn’t go off of it,” — Sharon Stone, interview

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• “I was sick as a frigging dog for four and a half months.” — Sharon Stone, interview

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• “Once I got off that, I decided I’m going to quit smoking pot. And because I think they put so much stuff in it now — they really do — when I stopped smoking pot, I also got sick. It’s not like you’re pulling it out of the ground anymore. It’s not like when we were kids. I got pretty sick for a month. I went to my neurologist, and he said, ‘Sharon, I’ve had people dying in the emergency room from marijuana.’” — neurologist, interview

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• “I could work at a department store in New York and get a biracial kid and be Mame in the punk era.” — Sharon Stone, interview

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