STORM AS ANTI-DRUGS CHIEFS GO SOFT ON CANNABIS

A STORM erupted last night after the three most powerful figures in
the war on drugs endorsed a more lenient approach to cannabis use.

First, drugs 'tsar' Keith Hellawell suggested police should turn a
blind-eye to the softer drug and re-target resources on countering
heroin and cocaine.

Within hours, Cabinet drugs supremo Mo Mowlam gave him her full
support in a TV interview. Miss Mowlam, who last month admitted
having tried cannabis at university, went even further by refusing to
rule out decriminalisation of the drug.

Then metropolitan police Commissioner Sir John Stevens added his
voice, telling another TV interviewer that cannabis law enforcement
was not a priority on his force.

The apparent bandwagon for a softening of attitudes brought a further
response from those whose lives have been touched by the tragic
effects of drugs.

Paul Betts, whose daughter Leah died after taking an ecstasy tablet at
her 18th birthday party, said dealers in hard drugs 'rely on cannabis
to get people hooked in the first place.'

'Every dealer and pro-cannabis organisation in the land must be
rubbing their cheque books with glee,' he said.

Anti-drugs campaigner Alastair Ramsey said cannabis was ' the
gatekeeper to a drug-taking career'. 'I've worked with people trying
to recover from hard drugs and almost every single one started off on
cannabis,' he said.

Mr Hellawell, the highest-paid political advisor in Whitehall on
106,000 UK pounds a year, said too many people were being convicted
for possessing small amounts of cannabis at the expense of the war on
hard drugs.

In an article for The Observer, he said: 'What I have done is lift the
stone on the hidden truth about drugs in Britain, which is that we
need to discriminate between different drugs and the relative harm
caused and then talk openly about the difference we can make. The
focus is going to be on the drugs that cause the major harm.'

Within hours of the article appearing, Mr Hellawell had tried to head
off a row by rushing out a clarifying statement.

' I don't support legalisation, decriminalisation or depenalisation,'
he said. 'I'm not saying they shouldn't be convicted. What I was
talking about is the cautioning policy in the police services has
grown for offenders across the spectrum of the justice system.'

By this time, however, Miss Mowlam had already intervened to offer
support.

Interviewed by GMTV, she insisted that the focus of the Government's
strategy was on all drugs, but added: 'Obviously the killer drugs -
heroin, cocaine, Ecstasy - we're focusing on harder drugs because you
can't doe everything at once.'

The cabinet Enforcer, target of a Whitehall whispering campaign about
her capability to hold down her job, put herself on a collision course
with home Secretary Jack Straw when asked about decriminalisation.

She aid she would 'never cancel anything in or anything out' and said
that a more lenient approach to cannabis 'is the reality on the
streets at the moment.'

Coming from the head of the Government's anti-drugs policy, the words
will be seen as the clearest signal yet that decriminalisation of soft
drugs may son be on the political agenda.

Mr Straw remains implacably opposed to decriminalising cannabis, as
does Tony Blair.

The row will renew concerns about the home Office about Mr Hellawell's
effectiveness. A number of ministers have voiced private concerns
that, after two years in the job, the ex-police chief has not
delivered the results they expected.

Labour's Paul Flynn, vice-chairman of the Commons drugs misuse group,
said it as a pity Mr Hellawell had not made his sentiments known two
year ago. 'The tsar's reign has seen a frightening increase in heroin
and cocaine use,' he said.

It also brought a chorus of protect from those who feel a softening
of cannabis law enforcement would present the thin end of the wedge.

Mr Ramsey, director of Scotland Against drugs, said: 'Where do you
stop? What constitutes a small amount - a kilo, half a kilo? then it
will be, Why not take a relaxed line on ecstasy?"'

Tory leader William Hague said: "We should not take our eye away from
cannabis and other soft drugs because it is clear from talking to
people that they often lead to hard drugs.'