Olympic hero Bolt poses with cannabis T-shirts
Potty ... Usain Bolt in web photo with T-shirts
OLYMPIC sprint king Usain Bolt was blasted by anti-drugs campaigners last
night, after apparently promoting the use of cannabis.
The 100m and 200m champ posed with clothes made by US firm The Pothead Diaries.The star, who has admitted smoking dope when he was young, posted a picture of
its T-shirts on his Instagram account. According to the Pothead website, the
clothing range is a “collection to express your inner pothead”.
Champion ... Usain on track
It adds: “Celebrate our love for the culture and our involvement in it. Join
us in getting involved with the evolution of cannabis apparel.” But the
photo provoked a storm of controversy last night, with even Bolt’s loyal
fans attacking the 26-year-old Jamaican, famous for his Lightning pose.
One of his Instagram followers posted: “Don’t think you should broadcasting
that. b smart.”
Lucy Rowe, of Skunk Sense, a charity for people affected by the class B drug,
also criticised Bolt — a hero to millions.
She said: “I would hope that such a charismatic young man who is very much a
role model for young people would have more common sense than to give free
publicity to a company which so blatantly promotes cannabis use.”
Addiction specialist Mark Dempster claimed: “He’s using his position to
promote something that can cause not just addiction, but also create mental
health problems for young people.”
In 2009 Bolt, worth £32million a year in sponsorship deals, admitted smoking
dope as a youngster in Jamaica, but said it was no longer part of his
lifestyle.
He said: “When you’re a child in Jamaica, you learn how to roll a joint.
Everyone tried marijuana, including me, but I was really young.”
Bolt’s spokesman did not respond to requests for comment. Last night the photo
was removed.
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