Russell Brand tells MPs of drug battle Comedian Russell Brand said he became addicted to drugs because of emotional and psychological difficulties, adding "it was rough." The flamboyant film star said addiction should be treated as a health issue rather than a criminal matter. He called for "abstinence-based recovery" as he gave evidence about his own battle with addiction to MPs reviewing the Government's drugs policy. Brand, who arrived at the hearing wearing a black hat, gold chains and crosses and a torn black vest top, said he was not calling for "a free-for-all where everyone goes around taking drugs." Addicts will always be able to get drugs, he said, whether they are illegal or not. However he added he was not qualified to talk about legalisation. Instead, he said addiction should be treated as an illness and society should recognise that addicts, with the proper help, can become active and useful members. He said society should not "discard people, write them off on methadone and leave them on the sidelines." Instead, society should "neutralise the toxic social threat they pose as criminals." Asked if there should be a carrot and stick approach, he said it should be more about "love and compassion." Speaking rapidly and addressing committee members by their first names, Brand dismissed suggestions that addicts cared where their drugs came from or the consequences of their production. "I don't think they're going to be affected by that because they're normally on drugs," he said. Asked about the role of celebrities, he said: "Who cares about bloody celebrities?" Brand said that, instead, he wanted to offer people "truth and authenticity." Chip Somers, chief executive of the detox centre Focus 12, where Brand sought help with drug dependency, said: "Just to park people on methadone for four to seven years is criminal." Abstinence was an "admirable aim for everybody," he said, but he admitted that not everyone would achieve it. I don't think methadone is a good thing. He added he thought many methadone users were also using other drugs. Both Brand and Mr Somers said the number of people criminalised for possession should be reduced.