American actor Matthew McConaughey revealed he stopped smoking cannabis following an overwhelming experience listening to Janet Jackson's hit song That's the Way Love Goes on the night of his birthday party.
Speaking in an interview on Rolling Stone magazine's My Life in 10 Songs video series, the Oscar winner explained that an unexpected encounter with a potent strain of cannabis left him sitting in his car playing the track 24 times in a row. By the time he stepped out of the vehicle to join his guests, the celebration was already over and everyone had left.
McConaughey said the 1993 R&B single holds a special meaning for him because of the incident, describing it as a nice, easy, groovy tune that ultimately caused him to quit smoking weed.
A shift in cannabis potency
The actor explained that the experience occurred around the time cannabis was becoming more widely available and significantly stronger than the varieties he was previously accustomed to smoking.
Recalling how cannabis culture had changed, McConaughey noted that older strains allowed people to roll a joint, smoke, pass it around, laugh, get hungry, and perhaps cuddle for a short while. He said a different type of weed then began to appear, where a single puff could cause parallel thoughts to spiral out of control and lead users to collapse.
On the night of the incident, McConaughey was heading to a birthday party he had organized for himself when a friend handed him a joint, encouraging him to try some because it was super fun. After smoking it inside his vehicle, McConaughey immediately realized that the strain was unlike anything he had smoked before.
Missing his own birthday party
The potent reaction led McConaughey to remain inside his car playing Janet Jackson's That's the Way Love Goes 24 consecutive times. He explained that during the experience, he believed listening to the song was more important than going inside to attend his own birthday party.
When he eventually left the car to enter the venue, the event had concluded and all the invited guests had departed. McConaughey remarked that while he loved the song, he did not love the effect of the weed.
McConaughey clarified that despite the negative ordeal connected to cannabis, he maintains his affection for the track and still enjoys its melody today.
