CITY MPS DIVIDED ON DRUG LAW REFORMS

Norwich North MP Dr Ian Gibson has called on the Government to look
again at the issue of drugs, as a police think-tank was set to
recommend a liberalisation of drug laws.

But Charles Clarke, MP for Norwich South and Home Office minister,
said there would be no relaxation of the current legislation.

Dr Gibson wants to see an independent Royal Commission set up to
debate the situation, with input from parents and youngsters - not
just experts.

And at the same time, the Police Foundation is this week expected to
call for lower penalties on soft drugs and for Ecstasy to be
downgraded so it is treated in the same way as cannabis.

But it also believes harsher penalties should be introduced against
dealers to tackle the use of drugs by younger people.

As details of the report emerged, Dr Gibson said: "I think there ought
to be a Royal commission and I think it should happen as soon as possible.

"You'd have to have young people on it, you'd have to have parents,
you'd have to have all aspects of society feeding into it.

"It may take along time to come through but it would be worth it in
the end and I would think that cannabis would be seen as not being the
major problem that we think of it now."

But Charles Clarke said there were no plans to downgrade Ecstasy or
lower penalties for possession of cannabis, for which 100,000 people
were arrested in 1998.

"I believe the most likely impact of a relaxation in the law in any of
these areas would be to increase consumption of those drugs.

"I think that would be bad for the people concerned and bad for
society."

Mr Clarke, who has admitted smoking marijuana as a student, said the
drugs debate could be improved by "politicians telling the truth about
their own experience and giving their own views frankly, and that's
certainly what I've tried to do."