Michael Douglas says he paid for the final two years of college by selling contraband, long before his acting and producing career made him a Hollywood star.
In his new memoir, One Helluva Ride, he describes transporting the drug from California to New York while studying at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Douglas revisited the account during his Oct. 9 appearance on HBO’s Real Time With Bill Maher. The host said he, too, had discovered the financial appeal of buying marijuana in one place and selling it elsewhere.
Grand Central Publishing released the memoir Oct. 6.
Kirk Gave Him $10,000 and Told Him He Was on His Own
During his Oct. 8 appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, Douglas discussed receiving a $10,000 check from Kirk when he turned 21. In the memoir, he describes the money as a trust fund delivered at the beginning of his sophomore year.
Douglas says he objected because tuition and living expenses remained ahead of him. Recalling the conversation to Maher, Douglas quoted his father as saying, “Great son, you’re on your own.”
He Packed Marijuana Into His Father’s Christmas Gift
Kirk had also given Michael two soft Italian leather suitcases for Christmas. Douglas told Maher that he discovered each could hold 22 kilograms of marijuana and packed them for trips to visit his mother.
He described traveling with the clothes he was wearing and checking the bags. According to the memoir, he encountered no airport problems and sold the marijuana to a buyer he deliberately knew little about.
Variety reported that Douglas jokingly called that period “BD,” meaning “before dogs,” a reference to drug-detection dogs.
His Account Adds Up to About 194 Pounds
Douglas writes that he made two trips carrying 44 kilograms each. The combined 88 kilograms amounts to approximately 194 pounds, according to the memoir account reported by Entertainment Weekly.
He gives a purchase price of $75 per kilogram and a resale price of $500. Using those figures, the sales would have generated $44,000 against $6,600 in purchase costs, leaving $37,400 before travel or other expenses.
He Confessed When Kirk Used Him as an Example
Douglas told TheWrap that his father repeatedly praised his financial independence in front of his younger brothers. In his 30s, Michael decided to explain how he had managed it and reminded Kirk of the luggage.
In the memoir, Douglas recalls his father expressing relief that he had avoided being caught and had stopped. Kirk also instructed him not to tell his brothers.
Douglas writes that applying for a student loan would have been more responsible and legal, but says he had not considered it. “I’m not recommending this approach,” he writes.
Maher Also Asked About the ‘Nepo Baby’ Label
Maher noted that Douglas had worked ordinary jobs despite having a wealthy father, including pumping gas at a Mobil station in Connecticut at 20. Douglas also earned the station’s “Mobil Man of the Month” recognition.
The actor questioned why children following their parents into entertainment attract particular criticism when families routinely pass businesses to the next generation. He compared Hollywood families with businesses that advertise a parent’s name followed by “and sons.”
Douglas Later Gave Back to His University
Douglas earned his bachelor’s degree in dramatic art in 1968. In 2012, UC Santa Barbara announced that he had donated $500,000 to endow its Dean of Humanities and Fine Arts position.
The university said the endowment would support teaching, research and programs in those fields, with David Marshall named the first holder of the endowed position. UC Presidential Funds matched Douglas’s gift, bringing the commitment to $1 million.