A group of lawyers will confront the US government in a federal courtroom in Washington, DC, today over its refusal to explain why Prince Harry was permitted to the country despite admissions of unlawful drug usage.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative political research organization, has launched a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish if the proper protocol was followed in allowing the Duke of Sussex to enter the United States.
Under US law, admitting to drug use might result in the denial of a visa application. In his book, Spare, the prince acknowledged to using cocaine, marijuana, and psychedelic mushrooms.
The Heritage Foundation will claim that the duke’s ‘widespread and constant media coverage’ has called into question whether the government adequately vetted him. However, the DHS stated that releasing the data quickly would not be in the public interest and questioned the ‘widespread’ media coverage of the subject.
Both parties are set to argue the case in a federal court for the first time in Washington DC today.
It is unclear when the court will make a decision on whether the documents can be released.
Lawyers will be interested in two questions on the US DS160 visa form.
One asks: ‘Have you ever been a drug abuser or addict?’
The other asks: ‘Have you ever violated, or engaged in a conspiracy to violate, any law relating to controlled substances?’
In his memoir, the duke said cocaine ‘didn’t do anything for me’, adding: ‘Marijuana is different, that actually really did help me.’
He also admitted to hallucinating during a celebrity-filled event in California and smoking cannabis after his first date with Meghan.
And the duke has also spoken about his ‘good’ experience of hallucinogenic substance ayahuasca, adding it ‘gave me a sense of relaxation, release, comfort, a lightness that I managed to hold on to for a period of time’.
Harry made the remarks during an interview with therapist Dr. Gabor Maté, an advocate of drug decriminalization who supposedly utilized the Amazonian plant ayahuasca to treat patients suffering from mental illness.
The Heritage Foundation’s lawsuit argues that US law ‘generally renders such a person inadmissible for entry’ to the country.
Sam Dewey, representing the Heritage Foundation, told Sky News ahead of the hearing: ‘The government has taken the position that “there’s nothing to see here”.
‘We’ve taken the position that no, if you look through all the details of his admissions, you look at the drug laws, you look at the laws on admissions, there’s a real serious question as to whether or not he should have been admitted.’
