Two members of One Direction are in hot water with fans and parents, after a video surfaced showing the members allegedly smoking a joint.
According to the Daily Mail, a five-minute clip posted online Tuesday shows Zayn Malik and Louis Tomlinson smoking and joking about marijuana. The video was reportedly filmed in April while the guys were on tour in Peru, en route to their concert at the Estadio Nacional.
"So here we are, leaving Peru. Joint lit. Happy days," 22-year-old Tomlinson said, while Malik sparks a marijuana cigarette in the back seat of a van.
Tomlinson, who is filming, then asks his bandmate, "What do you think, Zayn, about that kind of content?"
"Very controversial," 21-year-old Malik replied.
Tomlinson jokes that smoking "Mary J" is a part of Malik's warm up before hitting the stage.
"That's just Zayn warming up there before the show," Tomlinson said. "Zayn takes his job very seriously. He makes sure he goes through a two-hour intense warm up regime before every show, just to get himself in the zone. One very, very important factor to Zayn's warm up, of course, is Mary Jane herself. In fact I'm presenting it to him now for some fantastic singing."
As they drive by a policeman on a motorcycle, Tomlinson jokes, "That's the po po. He's having a look. He's thinking, 'I'm sure I can smell an illegal substance in there.' And he's hit the nail on the head."
The other three One Direction members - Harry Styles, Niall Horan, and Liam Payne - are nowhere to be seen in the video. Since the video leaked, fans have taken to social media to give their take on the incident. Some have demanded the two members apologize for their actions because they are "role models with a young fan base," but others said they still love the band despite their actions.
According to the Daily Mail, Julie Talbott, from Sunderland, was planning on taking her 16-year-old daughter to a One Direction show, but said she changed her mind after the video leaked.
"It is disgusting," Talbott said. "It is completely wrong, they get paid so much money and they spend it on drugs. It is a bad message for children; I have heard kids talking in the queue saying it is all right. They think if the boys do it then they can do it. I could kill them as they have taken over my daughter's life for three years and she would never do it but it is worrying."
"Young people often experiment with drugs and alcohol. It can be the case that some young people are influenced by their immediate peers and others might alter their behavior on account of high profile, young celebrities." Action on Addiction's chief executive Nick Barton said.
According to Peruvian law, possession of marijuana is not punishable if used for personal and immediate consumption in quantities not exceeding eight grams, the Daily Mail reported.
A representative for One Direction said the "matter is in the hands of [their] lawyer."
The band will perform Wednesday in Sunderland, United Kingdom.
