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Gracie Abrams | Source: Getty Images
Gracie Abrams on Why She Cut Back on Smoking Weed
By
Akhona Zungu
Aug 21, 202611:00 A.M.
The singer traced the shift back to wanting more freedom in her day-to-day life. She also revisited memories from her teenage years, when weed served a very different purpose.
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Gracie Abrams is opening up about why she decided to reduce her marijuana intake. The Grammy-winning artist discussed the topic during her new interview on the "Therapuss" podcast with host Jake Shane.
Gracie Abrams attends the 2026 Vanity Fair Oscar Party hosted by Mark Guiducci at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on March 15 in Los Angeles, California. | Source: Getty Images
Abrams reflected on the realization that led to her cutting back on smoking weed. When Shane asked if she smoked, the "Close to You" singer replied, "I don't right now very much at all. To be completely honest."
She continued, "I had definitely had a period, especially — during Covid, there was a stretch where — but I don't think ultimately, I struggle because I'm like, 'sometimes it's so the best thing.'"
"And then I feel like I want to be available to the people in my life, but also opportunity and spontaneity in a way that weed doesn't allow — it will keep me as if I'm handcuffed to the couch," Abrams said.
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Gracie Abrams attends the 98th Annual Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on March 15, 2026 in Hollywood, California. | Source: Getty Images
"And I think I prefer the freedom of feeling mobile and able more than I prefer the handcuffed-to-my-chair feeling these days," she added. This isn't the first time the 26-year-old artist has spoken candidly about her relationship with weed.
Earlier this month, she reflected on her teen years and the mischief she'd get up to despite her parents' watchful eye, in an interview with Rolling Stone published on August 4, including the occasional sneak-out.
"It'd be like, 'OK, I have to be home at 10 p.m. Crunch time. What does raspberry vodka taste like after being on a mechanical bull?' I'd come home soooo sick," she recalled.
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On other nights, she'd stay in — journaling with her headphones on — while secretly smoking weed on the sly. "I think I liked weed because it helped numb a handful of different feelings that I didn't want to pay attention to, acutely," she said.
Looking back, she can see how difficult her energy might have been for her parents to handle. "I do know [they] probably had concern around my energy, because why would I be that way if not stoned or depressed or super anxious?" she said.
The singer went on to find solace in songwriting.
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