Justin Bieber says yes to drugs, because you know, the smell of weed cranks up his style. On Tuesday, Bieber openly voiced his support for Russell Simmons’ Global Grind Campaign to end the war on drugs in the U.S. The website posted an open letter to President Barack Obama, urging him to revamp the U.S. drug laws. A range of celebrities – including Cameron Diaz, Scarlett Johansson, Mark Wahlberg, and Will Smith – co-signed the letter, which was circulated on Twitter with the #EndTheWarOnDrugs hashtag. Bieber also added his voice to Simmons’ message by tweeting, “shoutout to @UncleRUSH . gotta support him to #EndTheWarOnDrugs and show that we the youth have a voice. hashtag and support the cause.”
It’s not uncommon for celebrities to take part in these campaigns, as their philanthropic image is important to their careers. Unfortunately, this overloaded bandwagon does drop a few dead weights in the process. Bieber’s support for this campaign reeks of perfect PR, because not too long ago, the Biebs was embroiled in a weed scandal that brought out the monsters in us all.
Bieber, at his core, is just a boy trying to figure out life’s highways. He is flawed, fallible, and famous beyond words, and as this blind-leading-the-blind pilgrimage commenced, Bieber’s voice rose above the cacophony of weed-smoking-coughs. For that, he should somehow, in some way, be commended. He managed to silence his critics, inspire his fans, and wash his public image with the sweet smell of deliverance.
There’s no denying that he is a valiant soldier in this fight against the fight against drugs, but it’s difficult to look past the irony and the lingering smoke of Bieber’s burnt out joint.
