Take That’s Howard Donald is in hot water after demanding cannabis be legalised.
The 39-year-old singer sparked outrage by insisting the drug is less harmful than alcohol - and that if everyone was "stoned" the world would be a better place.
Howard said: "Cannabis should be legalised. If more people went out stoned than drunk I think there would be less fighting, less trouble, and less violence."
But anti-drugs campaigners have slammed the pop star's "irresponsible" claims as "rubbish", because cannabis use can trigger serious mental illness.
It is not the first time Howard has spoken openly about drugs.
He previously admitted: "As a band we dabbled with ecstasy and liked the odd spliff, but who doesn't?"
Howard's bandmate Gary Barlow has previously admitted to regular cannabis use.
Last year, Gary said: "In 2000 when I was dropped as a solo artist I was smoking 15 spliffs a day.
"At the end of the night, I would smoke only half my last joint so when I woke up I could have the other half before reality set in."
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- wtf kind of bullshit is this? mental illness? the anti-drug campaigners are the ones with mental illness.

- I agree on the less violence ideal but I’d be concerned about the young people who make careers out of selling the stuff as opposed to getting an education etc
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- I completely agree on the less violence aspect. Stoned people are less motivated to leave their homes (not drinking & driving), getting in bar fights, etc. I’ve never been groped or mauled by a stoned guy, but many a drunken asshole. Rape would go down, as well as domestic violence, b/c so often those two are results of a drunken partner. Too bad it will never be legalised b/c you can grow it at home, which means the government can’t it. They don’t really care alcohol is da

- I lived through the late 60’s and the 70’s, and I can whole-heartedly agree with Howard’s statement ”Cannabis should be legalised. If more people went out stoned than drunk I think there would be less fighting, less trouble, and less violence.”

- re: ”But anti-drugs campaigners have slammed the pop star’s ”irresponsible” claims as ”rubbish”, because cannabis use can trigger serious mental illness.”
What sort of mental illness? Is ”The Munchies” now classified as a mental illness?
People could be getting some serious relief from cannabis, if there weren’t such prejudice and paranoia about it. Marijuana death toll--- still ZERO!

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