Willie Nelson: Marijuana will be legal in all 50 U.S. states within the decade

American country singer Willie Nelson takes a drag off a joint while relaxing at his home in Texas, 2000s. A large amount of marijuana is spread out on the table before him American country singer Willie Nelson takes a drag off a joint while relaxing at his home in Texas, 2000s. A large amount of marijuana is spread out on the table before him Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Photo: Hulton Archive, Getty Image 1 of / 78 Caption Close Willie Nelson: Marijuana will be legal in all 50 U.S. states within the decade 1 / 78 Back to Gallery

Willie Nelson, the outlaw country singer and Texas legend, predicts marijuana will be legal in all 50 states by the end of the decade.

Speaking to KSAT 12 reporter Paul Venema, Nelson cited the opportunity to make big bucks as the primary reason that the drug will be legalized.

Laws that legalize the recreational use of marijuana have been passed in Alaska, Washington, Colorado, Oregon and the District of Columbia, according to Governing.

"The bottom line is money, and once those old guys see how much money is being made in Colorado and Washington, all the places that it is legal, they'll say, 'Hey, wait a minute. We may want to think about it,'" Nelson told KSAT.

Nelson is expected to launch his own marijuana company in Colorado this fall.

RELATED: Report: Willie Nelson to launch weed company 'Willie's Reserve'

Nelson has long advocated for the drug's legalization and passed around his pot knowledge. The singer famous gave New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd advice on how to consume the drug in a crazy column.

"I needed a marijuana Mr. Miyagi, and who better than Nelson, who has a second-degree black belt in taekwondo and a first-degree black belt in helping NORML push for pot legalization?" she wrote.

The 81-year-old, for his part, has had to take different measures to smoke pot, telling Uncut magazine that he now uses a vaporizer instead of smoking joints.

"I enjoy smoking. But I use a vaporizer these days; they're better for your voice and lungs. There's no smoke and heat on it. Even though marijuana smoke is not as bad as cigarette smoke, any time you put any kind of smoke in your lungs it takes a toll of some kind."

Scroll through the above gallery to see the legal status of marijuana in each state.

jfechter@mySA.com

Twitter: @JFreports