Prince Harry has been criticised by anti-drug campaigners for his latest interview in which he claimed that cannabis had “really helped” his mental health following the death of his mother.
He also spoke positively about his experience with ayahuasca, a psychedelic drug. The Duke of Sussex made the comments during a live-streamed interview with therapist Dr Gabor Mate, who is an advocate of decriminalising drugs.
Some campaigners said that Harry is sending a “worrying message” to young people, and that his public statements about drug use could encourage vulnerable people to use drugs to deal with mental health problems.
Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, who founded a drugs education charity following the accidental MDMA overdose of her son Daniel at 16, said that Harry’s comments could reinforce the idea that drugs are an appropriate coping mechanism.
She noted that many young people are struggling with mental health, and that reinforcing the idea that drugs can help with this would be “a concern”.
TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp also criticised the duke, saying that “if you have a vast platform you don’t mouth off about using illegal drugs, the trade which kills people”.
Pro-cannabis campaigners, however, seized upon Harry’s comments to support their calls for the drug to be legalised in the UK. The CannaClub tweeted that “it’s definitely time to decriminalise”, while Clear Cannabis Law Reform, which campaigns for legally regulated cannabis, retweeted a link to an article about Harry.
The ADHD Foundation also criticised Dr Mate, who diagnosed Harry with ADHD during the interview, saying it was “not ethical nor appropriate” to tell someone they have ADHD in a public setting.
»Harry’s openness about drug usage is criticised as sending wrong message to young people«
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