Malala Opens Up About Smoking Weed and Trauma at Oxford

Malala Yousafzai reveals her first weed experience at Oxford University, triggering flashbacks of the Taliban attack that changed her life.

Malala Opens Up About Smoking Weed and Trauma at Oxford

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has shared a deeply personal revelation about her time at Oxford University, opening up about her first experience smoking weed and the emotional storm it triggered.

In an interview with The Guardian, the 28-year-old activist explained that she tried a bong for the first time with friends during her university years. What seemed like a casual experiment quickly turned into a moment of intense emotional flashbacks, bringing her face-to-face with haunting memories from her Taliban assassination attempt in 2012.

Malala described how, after inhaling, she felt vivid recollections of that terrifying day when she was shot in the head while returning home from school in Pakistan’s Swat Valley. “I had never felt so close to the attack as then,” she said. The sensations were so real that she momentarily believed she had died and entered the afterlife.

She recalled losing consciousness while trying to return to her dorm, her mind flooded with the sounds of gunfire and the chaos of her rescue. “I thought nothing could scare me — nothing,” Malala reflected. “And then I was scared of small things, and that just broke me.”

Over time, with the help of therapy and the unwavering support of her family and friends, Malala found healing and began rebuilding her sense of peace. Today, she remains one of the world’s most influential advocates for girls’ education, women’s rights, and mental health awareness.

Now married to Asser Malik, a cricket executive, Malala continues to lead the Malala Fund, a global organization dedicated to ensuring every girl has access to quality education.

Her upcoming memoir, Finding My Way, delves even deeper into her journey — from surviving near death to confronting trauma, fame, and self-discovery in the world’s spotlight.

Malala’s candid admission highlights a universal truth: even global icons face moments of vulnerability. Her honesty serves as a reminder that healing is not linear, and that courage can mean sharing the parts of our stories we once tried to hide.