Prince Harry’s admission of drug usage in his book, Spare, shows his commitment to “being honest” about his life despite causing current disputes. The British morning program examined Harry’s readiness to experiment with psychedelic drugs, cocaine, magic mushrooms, ayahuasca, and marijuana, all of which have lately gained popularity.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative group based in the US, is asking D.C. officials to reveal the prince’s visa application. It is probable that Prince Harry‘s visa would have been refused if he had acknowledged using recreational drugs on his Department of Homeland Security application. However, according to a legal expert, it is unlikely to have any negative consequences right now.
Newsweek’s lead royal reporter, Jack Royston, appeared on Good Morning Britain on Tuesday to defend Harry’s revelations. Royston contended that after signing many high-profile content creation collaborations, the prince has been forced to reveal facts about his personal life, including drug usage, which only affects him.
Royston stated, “He’s got to give them something. Talking about drugs doesn’t hurt other people and it’s fine for us to have a debate about a counterargument, which is that psychedelic drugs can go terribly wrong for some people. But this is the guy’s life story and he’s being honest so why shouldn’t he come out and just say it?”
Prince Harry recounted his mental health journey in his memoir, which was affected by his mother’s death when he was 12 and his time serving in the British Armed Forces. Harry claimed that treatment and home remedies, such as meditation and self-medication, helped him handle his prior traumas after a therapist suspected he could have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).
In Spare, Prince Harry explained, “They didn’t simply allow me to escape reality for a while, they let me redefine reality. Under the influence of these substances, I was able to let go of rigid preconceptions, to see that there was another world beyond my heavily filtered senses, a world that was an equally real and doubly beautiful-a world with no red mist, no reason for red mist. There was the only truth.”
Some people criticized the prince for appearing to promote the use of psychedelics. Kirstie Allsopp, a British TV host, voiced her disapproval on Twitter, claiming that “if you have a vast platform, you don’t mouth off about using illegal drugs, the trade which kills people.”
Fiona Spargo-Mabbs OBE, founder of the DSM Foundation and an advocate for drug education, expressed worry that Harry’s revelations may be seen as encouragement. She told ITV News that his remarks about using drugs to cope with previous suffering may be misunderstood as universal.
Neither Prince Harry nor the royal family has responded to the criticism leveled at his remarks on drug usage. The royal family has remained silent about the prince’s comments in Spare and the interviews promoting the book.