Leonard talks about his book “HIGH: Confessions of a Cannabis Addict”
Leonard Lee Buschel marvels that he survived the first 44 years of his life… He still can’t believe that he didn’t get knocked off by drug dealers, thieves or the copious amounts of drugs he himself ingested. Or locked up for life in a U.S. or international prison. And then again, there were the near-death asthma attacks, open-heart surgery and the brain tumor… Yes, it’s a whale of tale—all true—that he writes in his acclaimed autobiography HIGH: Confessions of a Cannabis Addict. Buschel lived to tell about it with vast humor, thrilling storytelling, and great insight. He is an Addiction Expert and California Certified Substance Abuse Counselor. He is editor/publisher of the respected weekly news source Addiction/Recovery eBulletin, director of the 13-year-old REEL Recovery Film Festival and Symposium. and co-founder of Writers in Treatment, which supports creatives who struggle with addiction and self-destructive behaviors. But to get to that eminence, he first had to survive his profligate youth and his 25-year chosen profession as a drug dealer. Buschel’s life started skidding off the rails just weeks after his birth, when his postal-worker father died of a massive heart attack on his way home from work, throwing what began as the idyllic family life of a middle-class Philadelphia Jewish family into a skid. Raised by his mother – herself a very quirky character — alongside his older brother, Leonard learned most of his life lessons at the corner candy store under the guidance of the local bookie and the a group of cigar-smoking, streetwise philosophers who thought nothing of buying hot merchandise out of the trunk of a car. Gradually, experimentation with pot and sex unleashed a nearly life-long addiction to both — and what better way to support a cannabis habit than get into the business? Hijinks, adventure and near-disaster across international and state lines ensued, alongside explorations of the spiritual, metaphysical and psychedelic, oftentimes populated by personal encounters with the likes of poet Allen Ginsburg, Ram Dass, Jiddu Krishnamurti; a series of Woodstock headliners; and Hollywood luminaries including John Cassavetes, Gena Rowlands, Stacy Keach and others. And close friendships with Robert Downey Sr., in particular, and Robert Downey Jr. — who were often there to lend support in challenging times. He spent much of his drug selling proceeds to see the leading jazz artists, rock music superstars and Broadway shows of the era—always living HIGH!. But finally, in his 50s, in the midst of an emotional breakdown over a shattered relationship, and after “smoking his breakfast, drinking his lunch and snorting his dinner” for many years, Buschel checked himself into the Betty Ford Center. It was hitting the lowest of the lows that so many addicts experience. It was time to see what a month would be like without vodka, weed or ecstasy. For Buschel, it was a revelation! Every moment he was struck by how alive he felt when not under the influence. For him, the power of the program there and at AA, worked wonders. He has now been clean and sober for more than two decades. And while he tinkered with several careers to replace his successful, but illegal profession, he finally found himself drawn to helping other addicts kick the habit and find a stable, healthy, robust sober life. Inspired by the work, he launched the eBulletin, film festival and organization Writers in Treatment, which he cofounded with Robert Downey Sr, that have made him a leader in the recovery field. HIGH is a fascinating read, a lively romp through a very vivid life, but it also a cautionary tale and one that inspires. If someone as committed to the drug life like Leonard Buschel can find a sobriety beyond 25-years of active addiction and drug dealing, than there is hope for those who are inspired by his message that there is a better life awaiting—and that they can do it, too.
Here’s the book.