Yeah, there was always a sense of 'innocence' in all the Beatles' drug initiation stories, but even John, in 1968 and within weeks of coming off a drug-free hiatus in India, at some point made the decision to try smack. Maybe he was frying when he did it, but he probably can't claim he was 'dosed' without his knowledge, can he?
Could it have been Yoko?
And I remember in some Beatle bio that Yoko confided to someone that she was afraid of John getting her hooked on heroin (gotta love that John -- brilliant musician but not great boyfriend material) while it would be easy for him to kick the habit but not her. Then, in '69 he's off smack and has written a solo single to describe it. Heroin didn't seem to negatively impact John Lennon's life the way it did Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, Ray Charles, Elvis, and many others.
So I guess what I'm asking is, was John a heroin addict or just a recreational user? And what exactly is a 'recreational' user of heroin?
This may not be the most pleasant topic of discussion, but any insights are welcome.