Do celebrity drug users get off lightly?

The United Nations has warned that dealing with celebrities too leniently over drug offences sends out the wrong message. Does celebrity drug use influence impressionable young people?

The drug problems of celebrities like Amy Winehouse and Pete Doherty have been well documented in the press.

But Philip Emafo, president of the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), claims that celebrities are not given tough enough sentences over drug use.

He said that news of celebrities taking drugs glamourised the use of narcotics. He feels public figures should be dealt with more harshly in order to set a more realistic example of the consequences of drug abuse to young people.

Does celebrity drug taking influence young people? What should be done about the glamourisation of drug use? Is there a double standard for celebrities? Should celebrity drug users be dealt with more harshly?