STRAW'S DRUGS STANCE 'SCARE-MONGERING' SAYS LABOUR MP

A Labour MP has described Home Secretary Jack Straw's belief that
decriminalising cannabis would attract drug tourists to Britain as
"ill-informed scare-mongering".

Paul Flynn, the MP for Newport West, spoke out as Mr Straw said he
accepted there was a "coherent argument" for legalising cannabis - but
immediately insisted that the case for doing so was fatally flawed.

Mr Straw said legalisation would risk making Britain the centre of the
European drugs trade and stressed that the Government would continue
to take a "cautious" approach to proposals for drugs law reform.

Earlier this week a report by the Police Foundation charity
recommended that people caught with small amounts of cannabis or
Ecstasy should not be sent to prison. The report was quickly rejected
by the Government, which said relaxing the law would send out all the
wrong signals.

Writing in the News of the World, Mr Straw said: "Although the Police
46oundation did not go the whole way to recommend this, I accept that
there is a coherent argument in favour of legalising cannabis."

While those in favour of decriminalising cannabis argued that it had a
different effect from hard drugs such as cocaine and heroin and was no
more serious than the effects of alcohol or tobacco, the World Health
Organisation and the British Medical Association had repeatedly
concluded that cannabis was harmful.

Mr Straw argued that legalising cannabis would probably see
consumption increase. Imposing heavy duties on the drug would only
encourage smuggling. He accepted that there was not necessarily a
direct link between cannabis use and addiction to hard drugs.

However of legalisation he added: "But what would almost certainly
happen is that the UK would take over from the Netherlands as the
centre for Europe's drug trade."

But Mr Flynn said: "Britain has the harshest laws in Europe and the
worst drug problems. Countries with pragmatic intelligent laws have
fewer problems. The UK's mindless prohibition is doing more harm than
the drugs themselves."

He added: "The only way to reduce harm is to replace the
irresponsible, illegal market with a legal, licensed one that can be
regulated, policed and controlled."