Published Monday, 16 July 2012
Singer Lily Allen's 59-year-old dad allegedly took MDMA, a pure form of ecstasy, for an upcoming UK TV series investigating the effect of Class A drugs.
However, concerned health campaigners have slammed Allen for the stunt, and fear the footage may appear to glorify drug use.
Julia Manning, chief executive of British think tank 2020 Health, says: "The first two words that come to mind are reckless and pointless. We are fully aware of the effects of Class A drugs on the body.
"This will achieve nothing. If anything it will 'celebritise' the taking of illegal substances. This is purely anecdotal. It's not part of any proper study. It's publicity-seeking TV at its worst."
A spokesperson for the Transform Drug Policy Foundation adds: "There are lots of important issues around drug use in popular culture. I'm not convinced this is necessarily a good way to explore them.
"From previous attempts, footage of people taking drugs is usually quite dull and probably unenlightening."