WE MAY BACK MEDICINAL CANNABIS, SAYS MOWLAM

Moves to legalise cannabis for medicinal use could begin next year,
Cabinet Minister Mo Mowlam said today.

Speaking on the day the government's drugs tsar Keith Hellawell
published his annual report, Ms Mowlam said some scientific trials on
the drug were coming to an end and action could follow soon.

"I hope that by the end of next year those scientific results will be
out and then we can make a clear evaluation in relation to medicinal
use," she said.

Asked if that meant that by the end of next year the government could
back the legalisation of the medicinal use of cannabis, she said:
"Yes, but legalise it in the form of cannaboids, which is a kind of
derivative, so people don't have to smoke it".

Ms Mowlam, the minister in charge of drugs policy, acknowledged the
Cabinet was discussing a change in the attitude to drugs as part of a
wider public debate.

"What is going on is not just a Cabinet discussion, what is going on
is what we want to see - which is a more open discussion on the
impact of cannabis", she said.

"We have no trouble with that but our position on cannabis has not
changed", she said.

She also said there were "positive, encouraging signs" that the
governments 10-year drugs strategy was working.

This includes halving the availability of Class A drugs on the
streets, halving the number of you people using heroin and cocaine
and doubling the number of drug misusers in treatment by 2008. Ms
Mowlam siad the "mega good news" was that pilots of new drug
treatment programmes were showing success rates of 96 per cent and
these would now be rolled out across the country.

The Prime Minister today praised the anti-drugs battle in Greater
Manchester - as the government declared war on cowboy owners.

According to Keith Hellawell's annual report, the area leads the
country, particularly in tackling abuse among ethnic groups and in
referring people arrested by police to drug treatment.

Mr Blair said: "There's tremendous work being done out there by
teachers, law enforcement agencies and others working together on
treatement and rehabililitation and I'd like to thank all those
working on the front line".

Drugs Minister Ian McCartney, MP for Makerfield, said Greater
Manchester, with its network of drug action teams, was at the
vanguard of change and introducing news schemes.

Mr McCartney, whose son died of a drugs overdose, hit out at club
owners who "turned a blind eye" to drugs on their premises, or
encouraged it.

"A lot of young people are taking drugs in clubs and this is a
challenge to the owners, to DJ's and performers to help stamp it
out," he said.

"If club owners refuse to co-operate, the magistrates should withdraw
their licences".