Hendrix was abusing barbiturates so badly in New York's The Scene, (aka Steve Paul's Scene), a club that held after-hour jam sessions, that he often had to be carried out at closing time.

Regarding politics, was not particularly radical. To the dismay of most of his musical (and other) protégés, Hendirx was hawkish regarding the Vietnam War long after most were calling for an end to American involvement. He eventually changed his mind about it, as did many other people.

P.S. The tobacco companies use Polonium (sp), a radioactive substance, in the soil that tobacco grows in. Polonium is not considered harmful to grow food with, but smoking is a different story. They've been doing this since the 1930's, and the rise in smoking-related lung cancer started rising dramatically since.