Lily Allen has declared she does not condone drug use, after being criticised for suggesting cocaine use can be acceptable for some people.

The Smile star had said in an interview with The Word magazine that friends who regularly take the Class A drug are able to lead a normal life.

But after attacks from MPs and anti-drug campaigners, her spokesperson has issued a statement clarifying the 24-year-old's comments.

"During an interview with The Word magazine, Lily Allen was asked about the lyrics of a song on her album called Everyone's At It," it reads.

"The song's subject matter concerns drug use… At no point does she say that drugs are a good thing or that she condones drug use; in fact she says that 'I can spot the signs [of people on drugs] and it terrifies me'."

The track refers to both "legally prescribed drugs like anti-depressants" and illegal substances, the spokesperson said.

"Lily Allen would like to state unequivocally that she does not condone illegal drug use and has every sympathy with individuals and families whose lives have been blighted by drugs," the statement added.

However, Allen's comments have moved Carmen Collins - the mother of the late children's TV presenter Natasha Collins - to encourage the singer to consider the impact of her remarks about cocaine.

"It saddens me to think that young people who look up to Lily Allen will be influenced by her comments," Ms Collins told the Daily Mail newspaper.

Her daughter - the fiancee of the late Mark Speight - died last year after falling unconscious in the bath having taken cocaine. Mr Speight later took his own life.

"I'd like to show Lily Allen all the letters I've received, since Natasha and Mark died, from families who say they have lost loved ones or are powerless to release their children from the grip of drug addiction," Ms Collins added.

"Ultimately, I believe cocaine was responsible for both their deaths. I would just like Lily Allen to stop for a second and think about what she's saying and change it."

She continued: "She is a role model for so many young people and we are talking about the future of a whole generation here."


08/01/2009 13:43:01