HEALTH FEARS GROW OVER HUNGER STRIKE

Fears are growing for the health of drugs campaigner Colin Paisley as
he enters the fifth day of his one-man hunger strike.

The ex-heroin addict and former Carlisle mayor is refusing to eat
unless Jack Straw offers face-to-face talks on the legalisation of
cannabis.

And 64-year-old Mr Paisley, who is surviving on water and vitamin
tablets, said today that he expected to die before the Home Secretary
backed down. He said. "I do not expect to make much progress with the
Government."

Mr Paisley, who is standing at the General Election in Carlisle for
the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (LCA), admitted he did not have the
full backing of his party.

"The LCA is not entirely happy and everyone I have spoken to is trying
to talk me out of it," he said. "But my main concern is for my cat.

"Who's going to feed it if I can't?"

Friends are concerned Mr Paisley might not be fit enough for a
drawn-out hunger strike.

Fellow LCA candidate Mark Gibson said yesterday: "Colin is certainly
not in the best of health and something like this can only be
detrimental. Our main concern is the risk to Colin
personally."

Mr Paisley says he has watched the cannabis debate move out of the
public eye since the Government rejected a Police Federation report
calling for the drug to be moved from class B to C, with possession
punishable only by fine or caution.

A Home Office spokesman denied any attempt to stifle a debate on the
legalisation of cannabis.

He said that if Mr Paisley wanted to meet Jack Straw he should put his
request in writing for "proper consideration".