Tony Bennett Makes Plea For Drug Legalization

Singing legend Tony Bennett made a rather unusual statement at a pre-Grammy gala on Saturday, just hours after Whitney Houston’s death. The 85-year-old used the news as a platform to promote the legalization of drugs. “First it was Michael Jackson, then there was Amy Winehouse, and now the magnificent Whitney Houston,” said Bennett. “I’d like to have every gentleman and lady in this room commit themselves to get on government to legalize drugs.” Bennett continued by saying that people who wanted drugs could then get them from a doctor, instead of “gangsters that just sell it under the table.” The pre-Grammy gala took place at the Beverly Hilton, the same hotel where Whitney Houston had been found dead on that day. It's not the first time Bennett made comments that have raised some eyebrows. Back in September, he was quick to point the finger at the US for the September 11th terrorists attacks. “But who are the terrorists? Are we the terrorists or are they the terrorists? Two wrongs don’t make a right,” he said on Howard Stern's Sirius Radio show. But Fix Editor-in-Chief Maer Roshan defended the singer on Fox News today: "I don't believe that Bennett is cynically using Whitney Houston's death to promote his argument about drug legalization," he argued. "I think he's using the media maelstrom around her death to make an important point.”