The Beatles blamed for increased recreational drug use worldwide

London: Russia`s top anti-narcotics official has held legendary music band ‘The Beatles’ responsible for a worldwide increase in recreational drug abuse, which continues to harm young people.

In a press conference in Moscow, Yevgeny Bryun claimed that the consequences of the Fab Four`s propaganda in the 1960s were still being felt. "After The Beatles went to expand their consciousness in India ashrams, they introduced that idea – the changing of one`s psychic state of mind using drugs – to the population," the Telegraph quoted him as saying. "When business understood that you could trade on that – on pleasure and goods associated with pleasure – that`s probably where it all began." Bryun said that tough measures were needed to combat mass culture and advertising which promoted drug use today. The Beatles experimented with various narcotics. Even Sir Paul McCartney admitted in 2004 that much of their music was "informed" by drugs. He said the song ‘Got To Get You Into My Life’ was "about pot" while ‘Day Tripper’ was about acid. ‘Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds’ famously insinuated to LSD. Beatles music was banned under the pretext of evil western intrusion in the Soviet Union, when the state record manufacturer Melodiya said, "musicians such as these, who have plunged to the depth of musical decline, do not deserve a place on Soviet records". However, Russia`s president, Vladimir Putin, is a fan of the group and also met Sir Paul when he performed "Back in the USSR" and other tunes on Red Square back in year 2003. President Putin told the veteran singer then that his music had been "like a gulp of freedom" for Soviet youngsters. ANI