STRAW CONCEDES VALIDITY OF CANNABIS ARGUMENTS

Home Secretary Jack Straw has conceded that "there is a coherent
argument in favour of legalising cannabis" - but remains opposed to
the move.

Mr Straw, writing in the News of the World, insisted that the case for
legalisation was fatally flawed, and the move would risk making
Britain the centre of the European drugs trade.

But he did allow for the possibility that cannabis might be made
available on prescription to relieve pain if medical experts ruled it
was safe.

Mr Straw argued that legalisation would probably see consumption
increase while imposing heavy duties on the drug would only encourage
smuggling.

But he accepted that there was not necessarily a direct link between
cannabis use and addiction to hard drugs, and said: "Although the
Police Foundation did not go the whole way to recommend this, I accept
that there is a coherent argument in favour of legalising cannabis."

Earlier this week a report by the Police Foundation charity had
recommended that people caught with small amounts of cannabis or
Ecstasy should not be sent to prison.

One of Britain's top police officers, Metropolitan Police Commissioner
Sir John Stevens, added to the cannabis debate by suggesting he would
not be unduly concerned if the drug was legalised.

Sir John, speaking to the Sunday Express during a fact-finding trip to
New York, said: "We are, as police officers, all about enforcing the
law. That's what we're here to do. In London, with robberies and
murders up, cannabis cannot be a priority.

"If cannabis was legalised we'd be fine with it because that's a
policeman's job. I'd work with it.

"Our job is to enforce the law. If the law says it's illegal then we
enforce the laws. If they say it's legal in Parliament, then so be
it."

He added: "I'm not saying legalise it. If policemen start querying
laws, we're in trouble."