The Twitter feud between One Direction's Zayn Malik and The Wanted's Max George has escalated to the point where George, 24, has accused Malik, 19, of being a marijuana user. (Marijuana use that is not prescribed for medicinal purposes is illegal in most countries, including the United Kingdom, where Malik and the rest of One Direction live.)
As previously reported, the Twitter feud started on November 22, 2012. It reached a low point when Malik said George had a sexually transmitted disease by calling him "chlamydia boy." George lashed back by saying to Malik, "Stay off the bud... It clearly makes u cranky."
It's the first time that a member of One Direction has been publicly linked to illegal drug use, and One Direction fans on the Internet are debating if or how much of a "pothead" Malik really is. So far, Malik has neither confirmed nor denied that he's a marijuana user.
Either way, it's a PR mess for One Direction's handlers, who can't have One Direction linked to illegal drug activity not just because One Direction has millions of young, impressionable fans who idolize One Direction but also because the group does a lot of international traveling, and the handlers don't want One Direction to come under scrutiny by customs officials.
In other words, an artist like Snoop Dogg (or Snoop Lion, as he's calling himself now) can be banned from certain countries because of his marijuana arrests and criminal record, and it's not going to ruin his career. But if something like that happened to anyone in One Direction, it could have a disastrous effect on One Direction's career.
One Direction's five members (Malik, Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson and Liam Payne) are ages 18 to 20. Die-hard fans of One Direction know that the members of the group have never been squeaky-clean, even when the group first found fame on "The X Factor" U.K. in 2010. Most of the guys in One Direction have been seen drunk in public or drinking heavily in countries where 18 is the minimum legal age to drink alcohol. (The U.K. is one of those countries.) Some of the members of One Direction have openly talked to the media or on Twitter about past experiences being drunk or their plans to get drunk.
As for Malik, he has been labeled the "mysterious bad boy" of One Direction because he has the most tattoos, is the most reclusive member (in One Direction's social outings together, he is often the only member of the group who is missing), he was once suspended from school for being a BB gun to school, and he says he's been smoking since he was 15. (In the U.K., the minimum legal age to smoke is 16.) But is Malik smoking something other than tobacco? And was he under the influence of a drug when he went on a Twitter tirade against George?
Consider the effects of marijuana. Like many drugs, the most noticeable effect is that it lowers inhibitions and causes people to take risks that they wouldn't normally take. Other immediate effects of marijuana are an increase in appetite and an increase in "deep thoughts" that may or may not make sense to other people. Prolonged use of marijuana can result in paranoia and a decrease in energy, motivation and a sense of time, which is why there's a stereotype of heavy pot smokers as stoners who don't want to do anything but sit around and get high for hours.
By all accounts, Malik is the member of One Direction whose personality has changed the most since One Direction was formed on "The X Factor" U.K. in 2010. At a One Direction press conference in Milan, Italy, in November 2012, Malik said he has become more extroverted. (How much of his personality change is due to alleged marijuana use is anyone's guess.) Malik said at the press conference, "Before the band, I was quite shy and reserved, and I couldn't really speak to people that well when I first met them because I was really shy. But obviously, because of I have the lads, it brought me out of my shell a little bit and made me a bit more confident. So yeah, it's definitely a beneficial change to my personality."
"The X Factor" executive producer Simon Cowell was One Direction's "X Factor" mentor when he was a judge on the U.K. show, and he signed One Direction to Syco Music, the record company he co-owns with Sony Music. Cowell also agrees that Malik is the One Direction member who has changed he most. Cowell told "Extra" in November 2012: “He was the shy one. In fact, he nearly didn’t make it on one of the boot camp days. I had to drag him from the back of the auditorium and say, ‘You are going to do this,’ because he was about to walk out, he was so shy. To see him now, it’s a big difference.”
And it isn't just in interviews that Malik has shown a noticeable personality change. Insiders say that when One Direction recorded the group's second album, "Take Me Home," he was more extroverted and more willing to take risks in the recording studio. As a result, he was given more solos than he had on One Direction's first album, "Up All Night."
As for Malik's partying, fans have been speculating about what really went on during Justin Bieber's house party that One Direction's Malik and Horan, 19, were at after the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on September 6, 2012. Bieber, who is 18 and is also widely rumored to be a pot smoker, tweeted a photo of himself making noodles at around 2 o'clock or 3 o'clock in the morning during the party.
Later, it was revealed that Malik injured one of his ankles when he was skateboarding at Bieber's house. Malik was treated at a hospital and had to use crutches for a few days afterward. Was Malik under the influence of something when he had that alleged skateboarding accident? Don't expect him to ever publicly admit it if he was. And if even only alcohol was consumed at the party, they're not going to publicly admit to underage drinking, since the minimum legal age to drink alcohol in the United States is 21.
At a November 2012 press conference in Madrid, One Direction was asked how the group has avoided the pitfalls of drug abuse and have a relatively healthy lifestyle. Tomlinson (who often gives sarcastic remarks in interviews) replied, "I actually think it's really, really easy to stay in that kind of life. You make that conscious decision yourself. We're living a great life at the moment and having great fun. And we don't need any of that [drug use]. We'll just stick to the Pepsi!"
In 2012, One Direction signed an endorsement/sponsorship deal with Pepsi. One Direction currently co-stars in a Pepsi ad with New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees.
However, a lot of people don't consider marijuana a dangerous drug on the same level as cocaine, meth or heroin, which is why many pro-marijuana people call marijuana an "herb." If any of the guys in One Direction smokes marijuana, it's possible they could have the same attitude of not really considering it a drug.
Here is a sampling of comments on Twitter about Malik possibly being a marijuana user:
"Why do people think zayn is the only one in the band who smokes pot has anyone MET young men ages 18-20?"
"Niall is getting sentimental and deep. Are him and Zayn smoking pot together tonight?"
"Niall probably stole some of zayn's pot and thought he could get away with masturbating on camera i'm crying this is my boy."
"Marijuana Dealer Donates Proceeds To Hurricane Sandy Victims" well that was nice of u zayn."
"Max pretty much called Zayn a pot head....... HAHA."
"There's a political party in canada called the marijuana party cough cough zayn."
"ZAYN'S BLONDE STREAK LOOKS LIKE A MARIJUANA LEAF. IM ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING."
"So u better think next time u accuse zayn of smoking pot I'm screaming I can't stop laughing."
"I wonder if zayn legitimately smokes pot."
"MAX JUST TOLD ZAYN TO STAY OFF MARIJUANA WHAT."
"MAX JUST CALLED ZAYN A POT HEAD im laughing bc even if zayn was a pot head he'd still be hotter than him."
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