BLAIR THROWS DRUGS POLICY INTO CHAOS

The government's drugs policy was in chaos this weekend after Tony Blair
admitted he may not have his finger on the nation's pulse over parental
attitudes towards cannabis.

The prime minister said he might be "wrong" in believing that most parents
shared his conviction that their children should not experiment with soft
drugs. Blair's apparent prevarication brought immediate condemnation last
night from politicians and police in the front line of the fight against drugs.

His comments came before an informal European summit in Biarritz when he
was asked by John Humphrys, on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, whether he
would prefer his children to "get drunk" or have "the odd spliff".

Blair replied: "I really would prefer my children to have nothing to do
with drugs at all and I think most - maybe, I don't know, I am wrong in
this and other parents feel differently - but that is how I feel."

In the interview Blair insisted it was not "important" whether or not
ministers or shadow ministers had used cannabis. "I think what is important
is not what happened on some university campus years ago in respect of
particular ministers or opposition spokesmen."

Asked whether ministers were free to admit having taken cannabis, he said:
"It is up to people to do what they want to do, but I think it is important
we concentrate on the issue that I think will be of much greater interest
to the public."

Blair's apparent softer line on drugs infuriated the campaigner Paul Betts,
whose young daughter Leah died after taking ecstasy. Betts accused Blair of
making a mistake by softening his tone. "This is really unhelpful and it
worries me," he said last night. "What on earth is the point in having a
law which says a drug is banned if it becomes a matter for parental or user
choice?

"The majority of people I come across via our helpline or from visiting 200
schools each year are falling into trouble through cannabis - dropping out
of college or suffering psychological side-effects. This idea of turning a
blind eye is the last thing the PM ought to be doing."

The political establishment has been rocked by the drugs issue since last
week when seven shadow cabinet members admitted they had taken cannabis in
the past.

A further leading Tory, Tim Yeo, the agriculture spokesman, has since also
admitted trying the drug.

Yvette Cooper, the public health minister, said on Friday that she had
taken cannabis at university. Mo Mowlam, the Cabinet Office minister, was
previously the only government member to have admitted using cannabis in
the past.

Charles Kennedy, the Liberal Democrat leader, has called for cannabis to be
decriminalised and for a royal commission to be set up on drugs policy.
Last week the chief constable of Cumbria, Colin Phillips, said the
decriminalisation of cannabis was inevitable and he would take no action if
he saw someone smoking it at a party.

Ann Widdecombe, the Conservative shadow home secretary, who caused a row
inside her own party by calling for zero tolerance of cannabis users,
including an automatic $100 fine for possession, said of Blair's comments:
"He is all over the place. It is exactly the sort of wishy-washy statement
which fits so well with the home secretary's policy of giving special early
releases to 3,000 drug dealers."

There was also criticism from Dave Rogers of the Metropolitan Police
Federation: "This is sending a confusing message to officers. Cannabis
remains illegal and as such possession is a breach of the law.

"Even if you are just an occasional dinner-party user, you still buy from a
dealer and that dealer feeds the system which also involves hard drugs and
sale to children.

"If Mr Blair wants the police to avoid such people, he'll have to change
the law. Until then we need him to back us in enforcing the law as it stands."

A spokesman for the Association of Chief Police Officers suggested that any
softening of the line on drugs would be unwelcome. "We do not believe there
is any need to change the current legal framework. We are not persuaded of
any need to change matters."