RENEWED CALL TO DECRIMINALISE CANNABIS

Drugs Are Central To The Teenage Culture In Britain

More calls to legalise cannabis have been made following the cautioning of
the Home Secretary's son for selling drugs.

The Home Secretary, Jack Straw, was urged by one of his own backbenchers,
Paul Flynn, to "Go Dutch" and legalise cannabis after his son William was
cautioned by the police for selling drugs.

The Labour MP for Newport West, who is vice-chairman of the Commons Drugs
Misuse Group, applauded the police's decision not to prosecute the
17-year-old after he admitted supplying cannabis to an undercover reporter.

He said the teenager had had a "lucky escape" and urged his father to adopt
an "intelligent" drugs policy like Holland's, where cannabis has been
partially decriminalised.

Mr Flynn told the Home Secretary: "It was right not to prosecute Jack
Straw's son, although the lives of tens of thousands of other youngsters
have been wrecked for similar and lesser offences.

"Many have lost jobs, been expelled from schools and jailed for possession
or dealing."

Drugs have become central to the teenage culture in Britain: not only is
availability becoming more widespread, but the age of people getting
involved in the culture of illegal drugs is getting lower.

One of the worst areas for drug problems among young people is in the south
coast town of Brighton, where children as young as 13 say they have been
offered drugs and some admit having taken them.

A recent survey revealed that more 15-year-olds in Britain were
experimenting with drugs than in any other European country.

Fourteen-year-old Clare started on cannabis when she was 13 years old and
has taken speed and LSD.

"Mainly my older friends get it," she said. "Once you've got it, you go to
someone else's house, shut the door and then you're there."

Clare, who lives in Brighton, says she has heard anti-drugs campaigns.

"I listened but I didn't really because my curiosity got the better of me.
It's all part of the culture as well."

Don Brown, who runs a youth club and help service for teenagers on drugs,
says he is in no doubt that the cannabis smoker will move on to harder drugs.

However, some children say it is a natural progression. One teenager said:
"It's all about children growing up. It's a lifestyle now, it's not a fact
of peer pressure any more and people will gradually make their way through
drugs and it's up to them."

Another youngster said: "Before I tried cannabis I thought it was classed
as a bad drug -- on a level of other drugs such as heroin.

"After I tasted cannabis and saw there wasn't a problem with it I thought
speed will be okay, but that is a lot more damaging."

Sussex police has one of the worst drug beats in the country. Their policy
is to caution first time cannabis users and always to prosecute dealers.

They do not send undercover police into clubs, but rely on closed circuit
television and nightclub bouncers for tip offs.

The Head of Sussex Drugs Squad, Jeremy Paine, said: "It is readily
available, I accept that, but we are doing a lot of work concentrating on
the dealers - these are the people who are putting our kids at risk by
offering them drugs when they're having a good time, there's lots of peer
pressure and they think they ought to try it because their friends are with
them.

"We're doing lots of work in schools with the young kids so they're given
the education so that they can make informed decisions in the heat of the
moment and think about whether drugs are really for them."

However, some believe that anti-drugs campaigns could never solve the
problem. MP Paul Flynn believes the only successful anti-drugs policy is
decriminalisation like in Holland.

He said: "Twenty years of cannabis decriminalisation there has cut all
drugs use. No police, courts or prison time is wasted chasing cannabis
users."

The MP, who visited the Amsterdam last week, said: "In Britain's [EU]
Presidency year we should try humility in lecturing other EU countries on
drugs policy.

"Our so-called 'tough' policies continue to fail with soaring drug use and
crime. In Holland, 'intelligent' policies have reduced all harm."