Bill Gates Reflects On LSD, Cannabis, Risk-Taking And Influence Of Paul Allen And Jimi Hendrix

In his debut memoir “Source Code,” which hit the bookshelves on Feb. 4, Bill Gates shared several stories about his teenage experiences with cannabis, alcohol and LSD. He smoked weed in high school to "look cool" and impress the girls. "It didn't work out,” he said, “but I tried.”

Gates laid the blame for the LSD trips, of which there were at least a half-dozen, and his cannabis consumption on his best friend, the late Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen and Jimi Hendrix.

 "Everything I did, I'm blaming it on him and Jimi Hendrix," Gates told People Magazine.

The Microsoft  MSFT founder said Allen introduced him to “sex, drugs and rock ‘n' roll” and apparently Jimi Hendrix provided the soundtrack.

"He was far more well-versed than I was in all three, which is to say that I hadn't tried the first two and knew almost nothing about the third," Gates wrote about Allen and their high school adventures in Seattle, Washington.

One such adventure included the first time he took LSD and how the psychedelic effects went on for a bit too long. "Part of the trip was exhilarating," Gates said but it was less fun when he was still "feeling its effects" in the dentist's chair the following day.

The Challenge And Benefits Of Risk-Taking

"Paul always got a kick out of challenging the things like [not] drinking. And he gave me a bunch of whiskey, which I still don't like the taste of, because that first night I drank too much," Gates said of Allen who was two years ahead of him in school. Gates graduated high school in 1973.

"I'm a huge risk-taker willing to try new things, but I also like my mind working well. And so, both during those trips and even after, you wonder, ‘Hey, did I scramble up my mind?’"

Profound Thoughts While Tripping On Acid? Not Really

Gates said he gave up LSD when he was about 21. Ten years later, he would become the world youngest billionaire.

When Microsoft went public in 1986, Gates owned 45% of the company’s shares. The following year, its stock price surged, according to Forbes, making Gates a billionaire, worth $1.25 billion. That probably impressed the girls.

"And I'm definitely not recommending that because even though you think some of your thoughts are profound, in retrospect, they're not," he said.

Gates, now 69, continues to be open about the benefits of cannabis.

In a 2023 podcast conversation with actor/weed entrepreneur Seth Rogen about mental health, Alzheimers and cannabis, Gates said it was "amazing" how marijuana policy and culture have evolved since his high school days. Over the years, Gates has expressed positive views about the importance of cannabis reform.

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