LIB DEM LEADER CALLS FOR DEBATE ON DRUGS

Civil libertarians and drugs law reformers last weekend welcomed a
public commitment by the Liberal Democrats' new leader, Charles
Kennedy, to campaign for a royal commission to rethink the
Government's entire anti-drugs strategy.

The charity Release called it "a defining moment in the development of
British drug policy", while one of several vocal Labour campaigners,
Paul Flynn MP, congratulated Mr Kennedy on being "caught in possession
of an intelligent policy on drugs".

But Mr Kennedy's symbolic gesture towards a more libertarian social
agenda was condemned as "an unbelievable first commitment" by the
Conservative home affairs spokesman, Ann Widdecombe.

Barely a month ago government ministers led by Jack Cunningham
endorsed Tony Blair and Jack Straw's emphatic rejection of calls for
the decriminalisation of cannabis for medical purposes.

Mr Blair knows the issue is a minefield and has taken a populist
hardline view that the education of young people against the dangers
of drug abuse must be coupled with a still harder line against
dealers. The Home Secretary, Mr Straw, took his own teenage son to a
police station after he was caught in petty drugs dealing.

But Mr Kennedy believes he may have caught a changing public mood that
is not confined to the young.

Mr Kennedy, who beat Simon Hughes to Paddy Ashdown's vacant post last
week, called for "a mature and adult" debate on drugs - not just on
cannabis. He said there was "hardly a family in the land" that was not
worried about the drugs problem. He added a complaint that is central
to his leadership style, that parliament needs to offer "an orchestra
of voices" in political debate, and is failing to do so on a range of
issues.

The Lib Dems have backed a royal commission since the mid-90s, but
fought shy of its implications under Mr Ashdown, whose cautious views
on drugs are reflected by senior colleagues. Mr Kennedy is not
personally backing decriminalisation - even for people suffering pain
from arthritis or multiple sclerosis - let alone legalisation. What he
wants is a rounded look at anti-drugs education, enforcement policies,
sentencing (which varies greatly), and the views of experts, including
senior police officers, some of whom believe the war against drugs has
been lost.

Mr Flynn, MP for Newport West, said that Mr Blair was in danger of
leaving office with the drugs situation worse than when he came in -
much like every other prime minister in the 25 years since the
legalised use of heroin by registered addicts was reversed in
deference to pressure from the United States.

No fewer than 102 MPs, including eight Tories, signed a Commons motion
urging the decriminalisation of cannabis for medicinal purposes this
year, after a Lords report had suggested a similar move, along with
greater research. Ministers are reluctant to take such a step on
"anecdotal evidence" and insist that programmes that have previously
failed to check the rising tide of drugs abuse can be made to work
this time.

Mike Goodman, the director of Release, which calls for the
legalisation of cannabis, called Mr Kennedy's intervention an
"enormous moment in the case for changing the drug laws". "For a
leader of one of the three main political parties to be making this
statement now represents the drug debate coming of age," he said. "Now
is the time to talk and consider not only the case to reform the drug
laws, but how a reform system could be put into practice."