Family of woman who died after taking the same drug as Prince Harry slam the royal
By Jo Abi|
The family of a British woman who died by suicide after taking the same psychedelic used by Prince Harry has spoken out against the royal, labelling his positive comments about the illegal drug "irresponsible."
Jennifer Spencer, 29, died after taking ayahuasca at a yoga retreat in Peru which her family say led to a severe psychosis resulting in her death.
It was during a live therapy session with trauma expert Dr Gabor Mate that Harry, 38, spoke about his use of several illegal drugs including ayahuasca.
The Duke of Sussex spoke about his use of cannabis, cocaine and ayahuasca during the session. ?
"[Cocaine] didn't do anything for me, it was more a social thing and gave me a sense of belonging for sure, I think it probably also made me feel different to the way I was feeling, which was kind of the point," Harry said during the session. "Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me."
For a daily dose of 9Honey, subscribe to our newsletter here
Of ayahuasca, Harry said he took the drug "with the proper people" while trying to cope with the death of his mother Princess Diana who died in a car crash in Paris in 1997.
"After taking ayahuasca with the proper people," Harry said, "I suddenly realized จC wow! จC it's not about the crying. She [Diana] wants me to be happy."?
"So this weight off my chest was not the need to cry, it was the acceptance and realisation that she has gone, but that she wants me to be happy and that she's very much present in my life," he added.
Fiona Chase, 73, the aunt of Jennifer Spencer, told ?The Sun Prince Harry's comments about the drug are "irresponsible."
"He should not be speaking positively about this drug. It's irresponsible because a lot of people look up to him," she said. "It worked for him, but it certainly didn't work for Jenny. Like every drug, different people react differently."
The active ingredient in ayahuasca is dimethyltryptamine, also known as DMT. While the ayahuasca plant isn't illegal in Australia, DMT is.?
Prince Harry first opened up about his illegal drug use in his best-selling memoir Spare.
?"Psychedelics did me some good as well," he wrote. "I'd experimented with them over the years, for fun, but now I'd begun to use them theraputically, medicinally."
He also said: "All the great seers and philosophers say our daily life is an illusion. I always felt the truth in that. But how reassuring it was, after nibbling a mushroom, or ingesting ayahuasca, to experience it for myself."?
If you or someone you know is in need of support for mental health issues contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or ?the Alcohol and Drug Support Line on 1800 198 024.
