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Gibson Admits Taking Cannabis While At UEA
Evening News, Norwich
Wednesday 11 Oct 2000 Website: http://www.norfolk-now.co.uk/ GIBSON ADMITS TAKING CANNABIS WHILE AT UEA NORWICH North MP Ian Gibson is one of the latest politicians to admit having experimented with cannabis in the past. In addition to eight members of the Tory Shadow cabinet, who have owned up to dabbling in the drug, Dr Gibson was among a further 17 MPs to come clean. Today he said Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdicombe's call for UKP100 fines for possessing even the smallest quantity of cannabis had backfired. "I am ecstatic the Tories have shown themselves in total disarray," Dr Gibson said. "Anyone who came through the 60s and said they didn't smoke cannabis is not telling the truth." He added: "Politicians should be honest. I am not going to deny it. Almost every young person has a try: it is like having your first drink." Dr Gibson said he supported the decriminalisation of the drug, particularly for medical purposes. He said he had tried cannabis when he was in his late 202 and was at the University of East Anglia. "It was the Age of Aquarius, for goodness sake," he added. Norwich South MP, Charles Clarke, a Home Office Minister with special responsibility for the police has also admitted smoking the drug "two or three times" in his teens, but said he regretted taking the drug. Miss Widdicombe's proposals for a zero tolerance policy have been criticised by drugs tsar Keith Hellawell and senior members of her own party. A national newspaper contacted 617 MPs, or their staff, out of the 659 and just over a quarter were prepared to discuss the issue. The survey found that 108 MPs said they had never tried the drug, 42 favoured decriminalisation, 55 were against and 36 were undecided.
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