TORIES TOO HARD ON SOFT DRUGS SAYS POLL

William Hague will today accuse Tony Blair of being "out of touch with the
instincts and common sense" of British voters, just as an opinion poll
reports that a clear majority of them oppose his hardline stance against
decriminalisation of cannabis.

In a speech which marks the start of an ambitious programme of regional
tours, the Conservative leader will defend his own party stance on drugs and
ethnicity, marriage and sexuality as "neither libertarian nor
authoritarian," but a sensible balance between personal freedom and social
obligation.

To reinforce the Tories' battered street credibility it emerged yesterday
that the shadow home secretary, Ann Widdecombe, is not ignorant of drug
culture: her nephew, Sean Widdecombe, told the News of the World how he
spent years in the grip of cannabis use and cocaine addiction.

Now 32, the vicar's son supports Auntie Ann's "zero tolerance" stance which
includes $100 "parking tickets" for possession of cannabis and more severe
penalties for drug dealing - "reclaiming the streets from the drug pushers,"
as Mr Hague will say in Cardiff today.

But Mr Hague will be hard-pressed to put much blue water between himself and
the prime minister on the drugs issue since both major parties - though not
the Liberal Democrats - believe that decriminalisation of soft drugs would
send the wrong signal to young people tempted by more dangerous ones.

Voters appear to have moved on. According to a Mori poll of 1,014 people
last week most people believe (by 58% to 29%) that cannabis should remain
illegal, but personal use should be decriminalised.

By 55% to 36% a majority even favours legal sale through licensed government
outlets - the kind of option that a royal commission would examine if Mr
Blair sanctioned such an inquiry.

With the debate currently polarised, voters interviewed by Mori for the Mail
on Sunday showed some confusion. By 47% to 42% they rejected the simple
statement that all cannabis possession should be illegal.

They also said it should be "freely available to adults" like tobacco and
alcohol - by a thumping 66% to 26%.

Significantly, voters make a distinction between hard and soft drugs, saying
by 64% to 17% that the police should spend less time prosecuting the latter
instead of "clamping down" on heroin and cocaine use.

As for the conduct of politicians, a clear majority (72%) think Mr Hague's
eight shadow ministers were right to divulge their own past use of cannabis
while 56% think that Mr Blair's team - all but Mo Mowlam and Yvette Cooper -
were wrong to refuse to own up.

The Mori/MoS poll also found that voters oppose Miss Widdecombe's $100 fine
policy by 49% to 38%, one reason why Mr Hague is prepared to "discuss" it
with the equally sceptical police. Downing Street last night confirmed that
there is no change in government policy: there will be no royal commission
and ministers remain determined to decouple hard drug use from associated
criminal activity.

That reflects Mr Blair's own perspective and experience. As a student in the
70s he was a rock musician who did not do drugs.

He told Radio 4's John Humphrys last week that he would prefer his children
to drink rather than experiment with drugs.

"I really would prefer my children to have nothing to do with drugs at all."
Mr Hague, a 14 pint man in his teens, did not do drugs either. Nor, David
Blunkett, the education secretary, confirmed yesterday, did he. "I had
enough challenges in life without getting stoned," the blind MP told TV
viewers.

In his speech today Mr Hague will promise to return both to health and
educational issues as well as lifestyle choices in the run-up to polling
day.

He will accuse ministers of being "too grand" to address local and regional
problems which "do not grab national headlines."