Infamous '70s drug kingpin, Frank Lucas, says he's turned his life around and wants to encourage kids to stay away from drugs. But not everybody's buying his new product.

The Harlem hood star became a national name with the recent Denzel Washington blockbuster, American Gangster, based on his life.

He was scheduled to speak to students at Middle School 143 in Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn last Friday (Dec. 7) but less than three hours before he was slated to lecture, the principal nixed the appearance, according to New York's Daily News.

"I was very disappointed," Lucas said. "I really wanted to talk to them, to tell them what I did was wrong. I'll go down on my knees if I have to."

Lucas started talking to students encouraging them to stay in school and away from drugs and he said the reaction has been positive. But MS 143 Principal Adolfo Muhammad thought differently.

"I changed my mind the night before," Muhammad said. "I'm just not convinced in this particular case. ... I need to see a little more before I bring him in."