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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Tories' Policy On Drugs Is 'Mad', Says Straw
Irish Times, The
Wednesday 11 Oct 2000 Website: http://www.ireland.com/ Author: Rachel Donnelly, in London TORIES' POLICY ON DRUGS IS 'MAD', SAYS STRAW BRITAIN: The British Home Secretary, Mr Jack Straw, said yesterday the Tories' proposed zero tolerance drugs policy was "mad" but he insisted political programmes should never be led by whether or not politicians had indulged in youthful high-jinks. Speaking on the BBC R4's Today programme, Mr Straw said the row within the Conservative Party over pounds 100 fines for the use of cannabis had shown they were "unfit to govern". Mr Straw said the zero tolerance proposal announced by the shadow home secretary, Ms Ann Widdecombe, at the Conservative party conference last week then dropped by the party leader, Mr William Hague, on Monday, was "mad" because it did not recognise the proportionate damage caused by different illegal drugs. "I agree that we should focus our efforts overall on drugs that kill and are addictive," he said. "But it is extremely important to be led by the scientists. Pharmacologists and psychiatrists tell us that cannabis can have very severe short-term and long-term effects. The long-term effects include a very severe exacerbation of mental illness and also include cancer. It is reckoned that cannabis is between two and four times as carcinogenic as tobacco." The medical use of cannabis compounds to alleviate symptoms of conditions such as multiple sclerosis, however, could be permitted if medical trials currently underway proved they were beneficial. As the Tory agricultural spokesman, Mr Tim Yeo, became the eight shadow frontbencher in three days to admit to using cannabis, Mr Straw said drug policy should not be informed by youthful indiscretions.
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