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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Labour Considers Loosening Stance On Marijuana
David White Financial Times
Tuesday 10 Jul 2001 Drugs Policy Interior Minister Calls For 'Adult, Intelligent Debate' Britain may be moving towards a loosening of its strict drugs policy with a change in approach to the use of marijuana. The Labour government has hinted that it is prepared to respond to calls for changes in the country's drugs laws, which are among the most severe in Europe. In spite of penalties to deter drug use, surveys have shown Britain at the top of European rankings in the number of teenagers who have tried illicit drugs. The new stance by government ministers and opposition politicians coincides with an apparent shift in public attitudes towards cannabis. David Blunkett, who heads the interior ministry, said at the weekend that the government would consider the arguments about whether possession of cannabis should remain a criminal offence. He called for an "adult, intelligent debate" on the question. But he also ruled out making a policy change "out of the blue". A few days ago, Mo Mowlam, previously the minister in charge of drugs policy, called for the cannabis trade to be legalised. Ms Mowlam, a popular Labour figure, has admitted trying marijuana when she was a student. More surprisingly, the debate has involved senior members of the opposition Conservative party, which until recently argued for a tougher, rather than more lenient, approach. Peter Lilley, a former Conservative social security minister, called for cannabis to be legalised and sold through licensed outlets. And Michael Portillo, frontrunner to take over the vacant party leadership, has backed a review of policy. A pilot scheme that could be imitated across Britain began last week in Lambeth, a south London district with a large black population, where police are now no longer arresting people for cannabis possession. Instead, they issue a formal warning and confiscate drugs. Police see the policy as enabling them to channel more effort into tackling harder drugs such as heroin and cocaine, as well as drug- related robbery. The scheme has been introduced at a time of rising concern about the spread of increasingly cheap drugs in London. "We are not condoning the possession of cannabis," Brian Paddick, the officer behind the scheme, emphasised. But arrests for cannabis possession - the largest category of drugs offences in the UK - were taking up too much police time, usually leading to a small fine or conditional discharge. With cannabis still illegal, the scheme has exposed the authorities to charges of double standards. Under Britain's Misuse of Drugs Act, cannabis possession can be punished by up to five years' jail. In spite of this, cannabis use is more prevalent in Britain than in the Netherlands, where there is a regulated market for small-scale supply of the drug. Elsewhere in the European Union, Italy, Spain and Portugal have also decriminalised the use or possession of small quantities.
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