LABOUR CONSIDERS LOOSENING STANCE ON MARIJUANA

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.