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Anti-drug activists slam Prince Harry for sending wrong message after claiming cannabis ‘really helped’ his mental health

Prince Harry also spoke about his fruitful experience with the psychedelic drug 'ayahuasca'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Anti-drug campaigners have criticized the Duke of Sussex for sending a wrong message to the young generations after he spoke again about using drugs. Prince Harry told in a live-streamed interview with therapist Dr Gabor Mate about how using cannabis which is classified as a Class B drug "really helped" him to get over with mental health issues after the death of his mother.

The 38-year-old also spoke about his fruitful experience with the psychedelic drug 'ayahuasca', claiming "it brought me a sense of relaxation, release, comfort, a lightness that I managed to hold on to for a period of time". Dr Mate has been very vocal in support of decriminalizing drugs and has allegedly used ayahuasca to treat patients suffering from mental illness.

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What did Prince Harry say in the interview?

"[Cocaine] didn't do anything for me, it was more a social thing and gave me a sense of belonging for sure, I think it probably also made me feel different to the way I was feeling, which was kind of the point. Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me", Harry told in the interview. 

Fiona Spargo-Mabbs, who launched a drugs education charity in her son Daniel's name following his accidental death at the age of 16 due to a drug overdose, termed Prince Harry's comments as "concerning".

Finoa Mabbs criticizes Prince Harry

"Our work is with under-18s and our concern is that this can send a message that is going to make young people think that drugs are going to help them with stuff that is really difficult," she said according to Daily Mail. "It is a time when a lot of them are struggling with their mental health. Numbers have really increased and access to support services is a real struggle as services are incredibly stretched. Unfortunately, young people are getting the message from somewhere that drugs are going to help with their problems and anything that reinforces that is a concern for us. Using drugs as a coping strategy is more likely to lead to dependence than other motivations because that becomes how you are coping with something."

She added, "He has been very public about his drug use, which is one thing, but the statement that it helped him is a concern for young people." 

TV presenter lashes out at Prince Harry

"If you have a vast platform you don't mouth off about using illegal drugs, the trade which kills people", TV presenter Kirstie Allsopp tweeted criticizing the duke. 

Prince Harry admitted using drugs

Harry admitted using cocaine, cannabis, and magic mushrooms and was accused of being "irresponsible" and glorifying drugs in his memoir 'Spare'. Pro-cannabis campaigners seized his latest comments yesterday, March 5, to strengthen their calls to legalize the drugs in the UK. "Definitely time to decriminalize", the CannaClub said on Twitter. "If it's good enough for our Prince Harry then it's good enough for millions of people. Listen to the science. Cannabis is good for so many ailments."