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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Widdecombe defends cannabis policy Simon Gardner Reuters Monday 16 Oct 2000 LONDON (Reuters) - Shadow Home Secretary Ann Widdecombe defended her heavily criticised "zero tolerance" policy on soft drugs on Tuesday, just as a new poll showed most Britons think cannabis should be decriminalised. Widdecombe said the press had "distorted" her vow two weeks ago to fine anyone found with any quantity of marijuana if the Conservatives return to power -- a pledge that split the party and forced leader William Hague into an embarrassing U-turn. Widdecombe's call to fine first time offenders 100 pounds for possession and bring a charge comparable to drug dealing against anyone caught with all but the smallest quantities of soft drugs drew widespread scorn. Dismissed as a "backward step" by police -- who currently turn a blind eye to recreational cannabis use -- Widdecombe's woes were compounded when seven of her shadow cabinet colleagues then admitted to having smoked cannabis themselves. "I was saying it's very, very important that we understand what drugs do and don't get -- as indeed all the press were doing -- fixed on one aspect of the problem carried out by some people in some situations," Widdecombe told BBC radio in one of her first interviews since unveiling the policy. "All that was concentrated on was one small part of that policy, which itself was rather distorted." But as Widdecombe defended herself, a new survey published on Tuesday rekindled the soft drugs debate, showing that 80 percent of citizens think cannabis should be decriminalised. The ICM poll commissioned by the Guardian found two-thirds of the 18-34 year-old age bracket consider smoking a joint to be no worse than smoking a cigarette or drinking alcohol. However Widdecombe appeared to modify her stance in line with Hague's decision to reopen the policy to "debate", saying the country was not ready for a more liberal approach to drugs. "I'm not suddenly seeking to introduce criminal records where they don't exist at the moment, but nor am I seeking to... remove the criminal element altogether. I don't think we're ready for that," she said. Home Secretary Jack Straw said that like speeding, cannabis remained illegal to discourage and control its use. "The point about making things unlawful is not to hopefully eliminate behaviour altogether... but you do control and regulate them," he said. However the government -- which is cracking down instead on dealers of hard drugs like heroin and cocaine -- has no plans to decriminalise cannabis.
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