Revelations of illegal drug taking in the Duke of Sussex’s memoir have been widely criticised.
In his book Spare, Prince Harry admitted taking drugs including cocaine, magic mushrooms, ketamine and cannabis.
Under UK law, cocaine and magic mushrooms are Class A drugs which carry a penalty of up to life in prison for supply, and up to seven years behind bars for possession.
Poor role model
One Government minister accused the Prince of seeking “to justify and promote drug use” and described the admissions as “grossly irresponsible”.
Also critical of the Prince, former children’s minister Tim Loughton MP said: “He really does need to think long and hard about the impact he might have on impressionable young people.”
grossly irresponsible
And Police and Crime Commissioner for Dorset David Sidwick branded the Prince’s remarks “extremely unhelpful given the known harms of cannabis and emerging evidence of its links to psychosis and mental health”.
‘Reckless’
On hearing the revelations, drugs campaigner Janie Hamilton said: “My first thought was that impressionable youngsters would immediately start copying for the supposed thrill of the ‘trip’”.
She added: “It is reckless of him to broadcast his choices, as young people live in a copycat world on social media and are too young to discern what may be harmful. If a Prince does it, why not them?”
Janie Hamilton has visited schools nationwide to warn of the dangers of cannabis after her son James’ cannabis-induced schizophrenia contributed to his death.