She said they were "one of our most threatened groups of plants due to modern, efficient farming practices".
A video, shared by Mr Richards and Hairspray director Brenda Edwards, appears to show a number of police officers holding an individual to the floor.Writing on Instagram, Mr Richards said he had complained to the Metropolitan Police and the police watchdog about what he called "racial profiling" in the incident, in the early hours of 4 September.
The actor said: "In a flash, I was face-down on the pavement with multiple officers holding me down, forcing my head into the ground."I couldn't see anything, but I could hear my mum nearby, screaming and crying, begging them to let me go."That feeling of helplessness will never leave me. The whole experience was embarrassing, deeply upsetting, and exhausting.
"I won’t rest until I’ve gotten to the bottom of this and I am deeply saddened for anyone else who has been through this."He added: "I do everything I can to avoid interactions with the police, yet this experience has made it painfully clear that racial profiling remains a significant issue."
The Hairspray UK Tour Instagram account posted: "We stand in full support and solidarity with Reece Richards , a valued member of our cast who was wrongfully targeted by the Met Police whilst making his way home after a performance of Hairspray the Musical."
It added that it "strongly condemns any form of racism" and was "offering him our full support during this difficult time"."External and substance-related causes are most important because often that's what people die of in this age group," says Antonino Polizzi, researcher at the
at the University of Oxford."Things like drug overdoses, alcohol-related deaths, accidents, homicides and suicides."
The UK, particularly Scotland, has seen a rise in drug-related death rates, he says."These causes are usually improving for other Western European countries so we are seeing a divergent effect."