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UK: Darling: Chancellor discusses 'occasional' drug use in his younger years Beth Hale Daily Mail Wednesday 31 Mar 2010 In an admission echoing Bill Clinton's revelation that he had tried the drug but did not inhale, Mr Darling added that he had not liked the taste. The Chancellor, who first admitted in 2007 that he tried cannabis while at university, talked openly about his drug taking experiences in a magazine interview. In it he insisted he had not been a regular consumer of the drug and had been driven by 'curiosity'. He said: 'It was all right, but nothing special. I didn't like the taste.' Asked how it made him feel, he replied: 'Mildly relaxed. It never did much for me. It was curiosity, really. I was never tempted to try anything stronger.' In 2007 Downing Street said it was a ' personal matter' for ministers whether they responded to questions about drug taking. In the interview the Chancellor, who appeared in a live television debate with his Tory and LibDem rivals on Monday night, agreed that it was fair to be asked these questions. 'Lots of people do things they shouldn't when they're young,' he said. 'If you're not honest about it people will assume the worst.' He said the American public did not hold it against Barack Obama that he had taken cocaine, because 'it's not like he's taking it now, is it?' Labour MPs who have admitted to smoking cannabis in the past include Jacqui Smith, Andy Burnham and Charles Clarke. Tory leader David Cameron has said there were things in his past he regretted, but insisted politicians had a right to a private life. His statement followed allegations that he was one of a group of Eton pupils reprimanded for smoking cannabis at school. Mr Darling told Piers Morgan in the GQ magazine interview that he sometimes yearned for a stiff malt whisky after a hard day's work. He also said that he was not too tired to enjoy the romantic side of life with his wife Margaret but declined to elaborate. 'Some things a gentleman doesn't talk about,' he added. 'When it comes to sex, empty vessels make the most noise.' And in reference to Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg's boast that he had slept with 30 women, Darling refused to give his score and said: 'A gentleman wouldn't say.' As for his favourite women, the politician was reluctant to name a woman who would like to be trapped on a desert island with, saying his wife wouldn't allow it. But he admitted Cheryl Cole was not too his taste, but that Scarlett Johansson is 'a very nice looking woman'. He also said he never gets any female fan mail, adding: 'If one did, I would assume it was some sort of hoax. Who the hell would be daft enough to do that?' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1262369/Alistair-Darling-discusses-occasional-use-cannabis-younger-years.html#ixzz0jk3lUrT3
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