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UK: Legalise cannabis, says former Lord Chief Justice
Frances Gibb The Times
Friday 24 May 2002 A FORMER Lord Chief Justice and one of the most distinguished judges in England and Wales is calling for cannabis to be legalised. Lord Bingham of Cornhill, who as the senior law lord heads the highest court in the land, says in the current edition of The Spectator that the cannabis laws are 'stupid'. Interviewed by the magazine's editor, the Conservative MP Boris Johnson, the law lord supported the conclusions of a report chaired by Viscountess Runciman two years ago, which called for widespread liberalisation. When Mr Johnson asked him whether he would therefore legalise cannabis, Lord Bingham replied: 'Absolutely. It is stupid having a law which is not doing what it is there for.' He is thought to be the most senior judge to call for legalisation while still in office. Lord Bingham's proposal was more radical than the recommendations published by a group of MPs yesterday. The Home Affairs Select Committee rejected legalisation of cannabis in its long-awaited review of the drugs laws, saying it would send out the wrong message to young people. Lord Bingham went much further than the plan by David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, to downgrade cannabis from Class B to Class C, and ministers have repeatedly stressed that they want cannabis use to remain illegal. The Liberal Democrats, however, became the first mainstream political party to support cannabis legalisation earlier this year. Kevin Flemen, the acting director of the drug charity Release, said that he wholeheartedly supported Lord Bingham's comments. 'Reclassifying cannabis, as David Blunkett suggests, is a fudge with precious few benefits apart from saving police time,' he said. 'Young people are confused about whether cannabis is decriminalised or not, as they have been told they won't be prosecuted for it. 'And people will still have to go to the illicit market to buy cannabis where they will be exposed to and offered other drugs.' Roger Howard, the chief executive of DrugScope, said: 'Lord Bingham's call for cannabis to be legalised shows just how far the debate in Britain has progressed. 'DrugScope may not go as far as Lord Bingham, but there are a growing number of senior judges, lawyers, bishops, drug experts, police officers, doctors and scientists who are saying the Government can no longer afford to ignore the issues and has to take some bold steps. 'The newly-published Home Affairs Select Committee report provides a perfect opportunity for moving forward which we hope the Government will seize.' Lord Bingham, 68, served as Lord Chief Justice from 1996 until 2000, when he became the first to be appointed as senior law lord in the House of Lords. Steve Rolles, of the drug reform group Transform, said: 'Too many public figures who support reform do not speak out for fear of vilification. Lord Bingham should be applauded for having the courage of his convictions. 'He is making the point that if the Government is moving towards legalisation they should do it, and not try to have it both ways with reclassification which is half-baked and confusing for police and the public alike.' Lord Bingham also said that contrary to popular belief the English judicial system was one of the toughest in the world. 'Everybody thinks our system is becoming soft and wimpish. In point of fact, it is one of the most punitive systems in the world, perhaps not as much as the American,' he said.
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