Justin Bieber Sparks Concern With Post Using A Large Bong

Justin Bieber is sparking more concern about his mental health after posting a photo of himself smoking from a large bong on Instagram.

On Sunday, Bieber shared photos from his vacation in the mountains. The cover photo of the carousel featured Bieber taking a hit from a large bong in the background while his friend, Eddie Benjamin, played guitar near the camera. The second image showed Bieber sitting on the porch, smiling at the camera, with a glass bong in the background.

Internet users were quick to remark their disappointment in the singer, writing comments such as “I hate to see you smoking weed all the time,” and “At least keep it out of the public view. You’re not setting a good example for your young fans. Your standards appear low.”

Bieber was last seen smoking weed at Coachella with his teenage brother, Jaxon. The video, posted on April 20, showed Bieber’s wife, Hailey Bieber, quickly taking charge of the situation and steering Jaxon away from the smoke. Still, Bieber’s proximity to a minor while smoking elicited outrage among many.

Bieber recently made a variety of emotional posts on social media, including a desperate plea to the paparazzi to afford him more privacy. In March he also caught public attention with an Instagram post in which he took a hit from a bong while riding a dirt bike.

Purported members of Bieber’s inner circle also recently reported that they were concerned for the singer, with one source telling People, “He is facing a lot of different demons right now…he is making some really poor decisions lately, further impacting friendships, money and business…people are worried about him.”

Some friends have expressed alarm at Bieber’s closeness to his pastor, Judah Smith. In 2016, Smith spoke exclusively to uInterview about his relationship with Bieber. “Justin is literally like family to me. We would talk almost every day, talk and pray,” Smith told uInterview founder Erik Meers. “I’ve said it before, but I feel I’ve learned more from him than maybe he’s even learned from me. I feel like he’s lived his life in terms of experience and exposure of 50 humans. And so he has these incredible philosophical views, his love for god is love for people, which I think is coming out more even in his work. I think people would be surprised to know… celebrities have the same needs and essentials that we all do. It might be magnified because of their platform and the expectations of the outside world. But we all need faith, we all need hope, we all need love.”