<P> In 1961, Peter Yarrow joined Paul Stookey and Mary Travers to form Peter, Paul and Mary . The group incorporated the song into their live performances before recording it in 1962; their 1962 recording of "Puff the Magic Dragon" reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and spent two weeks atop the Billboard easy listening chart in early 1963 . It also reached number ten on Billboard's R&B chart . </P> <P> After the song's initial success, speculation arose--as early as a 1964 article in Newsweek--that the song contained veiled references to smoking marijuana . The word "paper" in the name of Puff's human friend (Jackie Paper) was said to be a reference to rolling papers, and the word "dragon" was interpreted as "draggin'," i.e. inhaling smoke; similarly, the name "Puff" was alleged to be a reference to taking a "puff" on a joint . The supposition was claimed to be common knowledge in a letter by a member of the public to The New York Times in 1984 . </P> <P> The authors of the song have repeatedly rejected this interpretation and have strongly and consistently denied that they intended any references to drug use . Leonard Lipton has stated "Puff the Magic Dragon is not about drugs ." Peter Yarrow has frequently explained that the song is about the hardships of growing older and has no relationship to drug - taking . He has also said of the song that it "never had any meaning other than the obvious one" and is about the "loss of innocence in children", and dismissed the suggestion of association with drugs as "sloppy research". </P> <P> In 1973, Yarrow's bandmate Paul Stookey of Peter, Paul and Mary also upheld the song's innocence . He recorded a version of the song at the Sydney Opera House in March 1973, in which he set up a fictitious trial scene . The Prosecutor accused the song of being about marijuana, but Puff and Jackie protested . The judge finally left the case to the jury (the Opera House audience) and said if they will sing along with the song, it would be acquitted . The audience joined in with Stookey, and at the end of their sing - along, the judge declared: "case dismissed ." </P>

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