Editing Ray Charles (section)

===Drug abuse and legal problems===
At 18, Charles first tried [[marijuana]] when he played in McSon Trio and was eager to try it as he thought it helped musicians create music and tap into their [[creativity]]. He later became addicted to [[heroin]] for seventeen years.<ref name=":7" /> Charles was first arrested in 1955, when he and his bandmates were caught backstage with loose marijuana and drug paraphernalia, including a burnt spoon, syringe, and needle. The arrest did not deter his drug use, which only escalated as he became more successful and made more money.<ref name="Lydon Riverhead" />

In 1958, Charles was arrested on a [[Harlem]] street corner for possession of narcotics and equipment for administering heroin.<ref>{{Cite magazine|date=December 4, 1958|title=Singer Ray Charles Jailed on Dope Charge|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=f0EDAAAAMBAJ&q=ray+charles+arrested+jet+1958&pg=PA57|magazine=Jet|volume=15|issue=5|page=57|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508045332/https://books.google.com/books?id=f0EDAAAAMBAJ&q=ray+charles+arrested+jet+1958&pg=PA57#v=snippet&q=ray%20charles%20arrested%20jet%201958&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

Charles was arrested on a [[narcotics]] charge on November 14, 1961, while waiting in an Indiana hotel room before a performance. The detectives seized heroin, marijuana, and other items.<ref>{{Cite journal|date=November 30, 1961|title=Ray Charles Nabbed On Dope Charge, Wants To 'Take Cure'|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KLMDAAAAMBAJ&q=ray+charles+arrested+jet+1961&pg=PA58|journal=Jet|pages=58–59|access-date=November 19, 2020|archive-date=May 8, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240508045343/https://books.google.com/books?id=KLMDAAAAMBAJ&q=ray+charles+arrested+jet+1961&pg=PA58#v=snippet&q=ray%20charles%20arrested%20jet%201961&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> Charles, then 31, said he had been a drug addict since the age of 16. The case was dismissed because of the manner in which the evidence was obtained,<ref name="pc16">{{cite web|url=https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19765/m1|title=Show 16 – The Soul Reformation|website=unt.edu|publisher=[[University of North Texas]]|access-date=September 18, 2010|archive-date=January 12, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112103904/http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc19765/m1/|url-status=live}}</ref> but Charles' situation did not improve until a few years later.

On [[Halloween]] 1964, Charles was arrested for possession of heroin at [[Boston]]'s [[Logan Airport]].<ref name=":8">{{Cite web|url=https://www.superlawyers.com/massachusetts/article/saving-ray-charles/fe67801d-057d-4b2a-8f71-eb083e313f91.html|title=Saving Ray Charles - Super Lawyers Massachusetts|last=Bordowitz|first=Hank|date=August 24, 2015|website=Super Lawyers|language=en|access-date=November 18, 2019|archive-date=June 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220628004638/https://www.superlawyers.com/massachusetts/article/saving-ray-charles/fe67801d-057d-4b2a-8f71-eb083e313f91.html|url-status=live}}</ref> He decided to quit heroin and entered St. Francis Hospital in [[Lynwood, California]], where he endured four days of [[cold turkey]] withdrawal. Following his self-imposed stay, he pleaded guilty to four narcotic charges. Prosecutors called for two years in prison and a hefty fine, but the judge listened to Charles' psychiatrist, Dr. Hacker's account of Charles' determination to get off drugs and he was sent to [[McLean Hospital]] in [[Belmont, Massachusetts]].<ref name="McLean">{{cite news|url=https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2002-01-06-0201060272-story.html|title=More than Just a Celebrity Psych Ward|last1=Turner|first1=M.A.|date=January 6, 2002|newspaper=Hartford Courant|access-date=February 3, 2019|archive-date=August 20, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820013749/https://www.courant.com/news/connecticut/hc-xpm-2002-01-06-0201060272-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The judge offered to postpone the verdict for a year if Charles agreed to undergo regular examinations by government-appointed physicians. When Charles returned to court, he received a five-year [[suspended sentence]], four years of probation, and a fine of $10,000.<ref name=":2" />

Charles responded to the saga of his drug use and reform with the songs "[[I Don't Need No Doctor]]" and "[[Let's Go Get Stoned]]" and the release of ''[[Crying Time (album)|Crying Time]]'', his first album since kicking his heroin addiction in 1966.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://blackdoctor.org/272450/ray-charles-drug-addiction__trashed/ |title=Ray Charles: Lessons From His Life & Death |website=BlackDoctor.org |access-date=March 16, 2017 |archive-date=April 3, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190403023009/https://blackdoctor.org/272450/ray-charles-drug-addiction__trashed/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/ray-charles-about-ray-charles/554/|title= About Ray Charles|website= PBS.org|date= May 17, 2006|access-date= March 16, 2017|archive-date= June 9, 2023|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20230609155005/https://www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/ray-charles-about-ray-charles/554/|url-status= live}}</ref>