Aussie rapper Matt Colwell aka 360 has taken aim at the Australian government over their recent drug awareness campaign shown on television.
The MC, who has been open about his own mental health and substance abuse struggles, took to Facebook to criticise the advertising campaign due to the way it could cause recovering addicts to relapse.
In a lengthy post, Colwell admitted that “I used to idolise people like Anthony Kiedes and Motley Crue etc, and all I wanted to be was a rock star and live that life. I actually lived that life and it was so much fun, at the start. So though my poison was opiates I’d be down for anything and everything. Coke, MDMA, Benzos, acid, shrooms, DMT, speed and the monster itself meth.”
Speaking further about Ice, Colwell noted that “It’s the MOST addictive by far.
Out of everyone I know who has tried to quit i think 90% haven’t been able to stay off it. I only know a few people who have fully cut it out of their lives but it took years of hard work and many relapses whilst losing a lot of friends and family in the process. It is the devil.”
The post goes on to recount his own experiences with the drug, before turning the spotlight on the new campaign.
“These government-funded anti-ice campaigns are fucking terrible though. They have zero idea that simply showing a picture of a pipe will have every addict itching. Even just looking at the glass pipe literally sets them off, it’s THAT bad. I guarantee that there’s people out there who saw that advertisement and it caused them to go and score.” Read the full post below.
The statement is the latest in a string of moves the rapper has made to raise awareness for both mental health and substance abuse in recent months.
Back in March he launched the 180 Movement, designed to help people overcome their own mental health demons.
The move came after he released a new song on Facebook titled I’m Sorry, which dealt with his addiction to painkillers and subsequent struggles with mental health, being the main factor which forced him to cancel his January tour.
Thankfully after his own experiences, it seems Colwell is using his own past to help change the future of others.
Hopefully, others heed his warning.
Image: Music Feeds