Subj: UK: Sco: Dewar hits out at MSPs over cannabis views



Date: Friday, October 22, 1999



Source: Daily Record (UK)







Dewar hits out at MSPs over cannabis views

By Carlos Alba





FIRST Minister Donald Dewar yesterday delivered a public 

rebuke to two Labour MSPs who said they wanted an inquiry 

into whether cannabis should he legalised.



He left Kate MacLean and Cathie Peattie in no doubt they had 

gone too far by airing their controversial views in public.



MacLean caused a furore on Monday when she admitted she had 

smoked dope for years when she was younger.



Labour chiefs sought to disown her comments but said no 

action would be taken against her.



But there was further embarrassment for the party yesterday 

when she and another MSP were quoted in a magazine survey 

backing more liberal laws on soft drugs.



Both MacLean and Peattie have said they have an "open mind" 

on whether cannabis should be legalised for recreational 

use.



But yesterday Dewar told a conference of chief police 

officers in Dunblane: "There have been a number of calls 

recently to legalise or decriminilise certain controlled 

substances on the grounds that this would lead to improved 

control and take the profit motive out of the equation.



"Let me assure you that neither legalisation nor 

decriminalisation forms any part of the UK Government's 

policy."



Two other Labour MSPs, Margaret Jamieson and Margaret 

Curran, were dragged into the row.



Both are against legalisation of cannabis for recreational 

purposes. But it was claimed they backed a change in the law 

to allow cannabis to be used for medicinal purposes.



They reacted angrily saying they had merely said there 

should be research into the issue.



* The Record yesterday named Cathie Jamieson as having 

responded to the survey instead of Margaret Jamieson. We are 

happy to point out our error.