BORIS JOHNSON CALLS FOR CANNABIS LEGALISATION

Boris Johnson has become one of the first senior Conservative Party
politicians to call for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use.

In an interview for Telegraph TV, the candidate for London mayor
responded to a question from a reader about his personal views on the
use of marijuana by sufferers of chronic conditions such as arthritis.

Mr Johnson said: "I have thought about this for a little bit, but I
haven't looked at all the evidence and talked to the police about it
in a way I would before giving more than an extempore answer.

"However, I do think there is a case when cannabis is being used to
alleviate severe and chronic pain that the law should be flexible."

The comments will irritate his senior Tory colleagues. Two weeks
ago, David Davis, the shadow home secretary, described government
policy as being in "chaos" amid reports that Gordon Brown was
considering reclassifying marijuana as a Class B drug.

Yesterday, Mr Johnson also vowed to clean up London politics as he
answered questions from readers of telegraph.co.uk a week before
polling day. He fielded queries about law and order, the Olympics and
transport.

However, it was the topic of Ken Livingstone, and Mr Johnson's claim
that the Labour Mayor has mismanaged the capital and squandered
taxpayers' money while running a "corrupt" administration, that
dominated the exchanges.

Asked how he would reduce the size of local government in London and
cut red tape, Mr Johnson said: "I am going to make some sensible
economies at City Hall by axing some of the current mayor's loony
tunes expenditure - like the European fund for Marxists and anarchists.

"He has absolutely no concept of taxpayer value, which is why on day
one, I am going to do the following - put every pound that I spend on
behalf of the people of London on the web, so that the public can
consult it, and we end the disgraceful cronyism and corruption of the
current system."

Asked about the increasing cost of the Olympics, Mr Johnson again
criticised the mayor and his campaign chief, Tessa Jowell, the
Minister for the Olympics and London, saying: "I will not allow
Londoners to pay a penny more for the Olympics, and I will ensure
from day one that we have proper financial controls and accountability.

"Tessa Jowell and Ken Livingstone are simply not adequate protectors
of the public purse."

The Conservative candidate accused Mr Livingstone of having a secret
plan to put up fares on the buses, trains and the Tube, while
promising that he would transform London's transport system.

Mr Johnson said: "Above all, I will not deceive the London public
about fares. It is an utter scandal that this mayor is going into the
election on a promise not to raise bus and Tube fares - when it has
just emerged that he has secretly agreed they will have to go up.

"He is treating the voters and the travelling public with contempt."

Meanwhile, Mr Livingstone appeared to entertain for the first time
the prospect that he will lose the election - and even offered his
rival advice on becoming the new mayor.

He said: "If I don't win, come May 6 I will be taking the kids to
school and starting a book on my last eight years as mayor.

"Boris, because he has never been a council committee chairman or
chair of a local authority, or involved in any other local
government, would still have a lot to learn even after the election.
My advice would be don't rush to make rapid change."