Russell Brand criticized for encouraging youngsters to use drugs

London, April 16(ANI): British comedian Russell Brand has been criticized for his comments which encouraged youngsters to use drugs.

The TV personality had said that his generation was defined by musician who did drugs.

“All children should be made to listen to music by people who wrote it on acid while staring wistfully at water,” the Daily Star quoted him as telling Rolling Stone magazine.

He added: “The music I listen to is mostly by the dead and dying, which is how I want my rock stars - Syd Barrett, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors.

“The top of the hit parade would look very different if teenyboppers were exposed to heroin. It would weed a lot of them out. I don’t think Justin Bieber could handle Syd Barrett’s habit.

“You’re just not allowed into the studio until you first have had drug- addiction issues. It separates the men from the boys. A lot of people in their journey to rehab overdose. And then, perhaps, we would be spared their awful music. It’s Darwinian. It’s the law of natural selection.”

Meanwhile, Brand has been slammed by parents of Nina Williams, who has been in a coma, in Yeovil, Somerset, for 12 years after taking a heroin overdose when she was 19.

Her mum Chris, 64, said: “I get the impression Russell Brand is clearly the sort of person who engages his mouth before his brain.

“Anyone in the public eye, as he is, should not be making comments like this. He is in a position to influence younger people.

“It is extremely thoughtless and irresponsible. I think if he came here and saw Nina’s condition he might not be so quick with his comments.” (ANI)