UK: Blunkett questions Howard over cannabis smoking

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Ananova

Thursday 22 Jan 2004

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David Blunkett has challenged Michael Howard to say whether he has ever
smoked cannabis.

He was commenting after the Tory leader pledged that a future Conservative
government would reverse the policy which will see cannabis reclassified
from Class B to Class C.

As a UKP1 million Government advertising campaign got under way, with the
message that cannabis remains illegal, Mr Howard denounced the
reclassification as "absurd".

But the Home Secretary has dismissed the criticism.

Mr Blunkett told the BBC: "Two years ago I said we want a sensible mature
debate, we are actually having one now, because at least people are
debating the issue sensibly. Let's ask him (Mr Howard) 'Did you ever smoke
it?"'

Mr Blunkett was asked whether he himself ever smoked cannabis.

He replied: "No I never smoked cannabis. But if I had, I would be quite
transparent about it because 40-odd per cent of under 30-year-olds have. I
don't want to actually end up chasing them rather than actually chasing the
dealers and the people who kill young people with crack and heroin."

Asked what his response would be if Mr Howard said he had smoked cannabis,
Mr Blunkett said: "I would say fine, thanks for being honest, now what
would you have done to you? What would your parents have said if we had
picked you up for smoking it, criminalised you and had you banged up in jail?"

Story filed: 11:02 Thursday 22nd January 2004

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