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UK: Lib-dem candidate stands firm
Rhodri Hornung and Tony Trainor The Western Mail
Tuesday 10 Apr 2001 Labour has called for a Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate who suggested decriminalising Ecstasy and cannabis to step down. But Gavin Cox, who is standing in Rhondda, yesterday received high-level backing from senior Liberal Democrats. The party's chief executive Chris Lines said a proper debate on the issues raised by Mr Cox was needed and accused Labour of "cheap knee-jerk reactions". Mr Cox had suggested the decriminalisation of Ecstasy could help reduce deaths from hard drugs. Prompted by a series of fatal drug over-doses in the South Wales Valleys, Mr Cox claimed the Class A tablets should be separated from "more dangerous" hard drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine. He suggested that Ecstasy and cannabis should be regarded as "soft" drugs and called for a fresh debate on the realities of drug misuse in Wales. But yesterday Labour rounded on Mr Cox, with its candidate in Rhondda, Chris Bryant, saying: "The Liberal Democrats must ask Gavin Cox to stand down as candidate for Rhondda, which like all our Valley communities is fighting a deadly battle against drugs. Drugs are destroying whole communities and it is utterly wrong to minimise the impact of drugs like Ecstasy." Mr Cox was yesterday standing by his comments, however, stressing that he had not called for the legalisation of Ecstasy. He suggested decriminalisation of Ecstasy and cannabis could perhaps help sever the link between hard and soft drugs. "We need to accept that people are taking these substances on a regular basis and that they are not a fad. Ecstasy has been in use for the past 15 years. "The people who abuse such substances are dealing with the same people in the underworld who sell hard drugs like heroin. "We need to sever the link between hard and soft drugs and decriminalisation would certainly remove an element of hard drug abuse from society." Mr Cox said he was pleased that his call to end efforts to brush the issue under the carpet had met with "a lively response". "Only a full and frank dialogue with experts, communities and victims of drug misuse will get to the heart of the matter. "Although a small proportion of individuals have sought to try to make party political capital out of this issue, I'm glad to say that these rather selfish opportunists are in the tiny minority. The majority of individuals seem relieved that, at last, someone is willing to open the dialogue."
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