Noted crooner and Supreme Chancellor of San Francisco Tony Bennett, used the stage at Clive Davis' pre-Grammy party Saturday night to implore his audience to join his campaign to reform this country's drug laws. Before singing "How Do You Keep The Music Playing" in honor of the late Whitney Houston, Tony (who survived a near-fatla cocaine overdose in 1979) compared her unfortunate death to the recent losses of Amy Winehouse and Michael Jackson:

First it was Michael Jackson, then it was Amy Winehouse, now the magnificent Whitney Houston. I'd like every person in this room to commit themselves to get our government to legalize drugs. So they have to get it from a doctor, not just some gangsters that just sell it under the table.

The point Mr. Bennett's was getting at, we think, was that street drugs like cocaine and marijuana would be safer if they were handled by say — a licensed medical professional rather than your average street dealer, who might cut up the product with heaven knows what. His examples probably weren't the best though: In Jackson's case, the cause of death was determined to be a fatal dose of a prescription drug and Conrad Murray landed four years for involuntary manslaughter for that one. Winehouse, on the other hand, died of alcohol poisoning. In Houston's case, the coroner has yet to release the toxicology report, but her and Bobby Brown's exploits with pot and cocaine were well-documented, including the time she admitted to Oprah her drug of choice used to be "weed and rock cocaine." According to rumors, Houston's cause of death was likely a mix of alcohol and prescription pills.

At Saturday's event, Bennett introduced his ode to Whitney, telling the crowd: "This is a song Frank Sinatra asked me to sing... I'd like to dedicate it to Whitney. When I first heard her, I called Clive Davis and said, 'You finally found the greatest singer I've ever heard in my life.' "

Finally, here's Tony on the Red Carpet before the Clive Davis event, discussing his relationship to the late Whitney Houston and alluding to his relationship with drugs:

Previously: Whitney Houston, 48, Has Died

Entire City Required To Listen To Tony Bennet At Noon On Valentine's Day