GOTCHA! SUN SPLATTERS EGG ON ITS FACE WITH TELEPHONE POLL

Tarquin Cooper on how the latest attempt to rubbish our campaign backfired

THE Sun's attempt to turn back the tide against the popular mood to
decriminalise cannabis ended with a large portion of egg on its face last
week. The results of its "You the Jury" debate on Tuesday on whether to
legalise cannabis backfired when readers overwhelmingly supported a change
in the law when the paper has continually attacked attempts to do so.

Ironically the results were more decisive than any other newspaper's poll
in support of our campaign. Last October, Mirror readers supported the
decriminalisation of cannabis by just under two to one. The results of the
Sun's debate is therefore particularly damaging to them as two to one of
Sun readers were in favour of legalising cannabis. This is after it
referred to the Independent on Sunday as "having gone to pot", when the
campaign to decriminalise the drug began last September.

Not afraid to insult their readers, a Sun leader claimed that those who
supported relaxing the laws on cannabis were "misguided".

"Straw knows that soft drugs can be the first step on the road to heroin
and cocaine. Those who treat drugs as recreational toys are dicing with
death," it claimed.

The Sun's embarrassment at the result was clearly demonstrated by
relegating the verdict to near obscurity in the bottom left-hand corner on
page 8 of Wednesday's edition.

It is the second attempt by a national newspaper to commission a poll to
rubbish this paper's campaign. In October last year the Daily Mail claimed
it had dealt the Independent on Sunday "a body blow" by showing "a decisive
majority of people against legalising cannabis". Their findings, as
discovered by an ICM poll, revealed that an overwhelming 71 per cent were
in favour of legalising cannabis for medicinal puposes and another 33 per
cent were in favour of full legalisation.

These results went further than those conducted by this paper the week
before by MORI, which found that only 45 per cent of people were in favour
of relaxing the laws for medicinal reasons. In the under-45 age group a
similar figure - 45 per cent again - believe that the drug should be
decriminalised.

Another survey, conducted by another Conservative paper, could not halt the
realisation that the majority of people back our campaign. In Friday's
Daily Telegraph, a Gallup survey revealed that 56 per cent of young people
were in favour of decriminalising cannabis. Half of the 18-to-34 age group
also ridiculed the notion that cannabis leads to hard drugs such as cocaine
and heroin.

The Sun wasn't alone in being embarrassed this week. William Hague, the
Conservative Party leader, claimed that cannabis wrecks lives. He believes
that cannabis ruined the lives of people he knew at Oxford university.

Writing in the Times last week, the assistant editor, Mary Ann Sieghart - a
signed supporter of this paper's campaign - rubbished that claim. The
contemporary of Hague revealed that of those she knew who smoked at
university: "one or two are Tory MPs".

* Keith Hellawell, the so-called drugs tsar, has opened an e-mail address
to receive your views. It is CDCU@gtnet.gov.uk

* A vote takes place this Thursday in the European Parliament to harmonise
drug laws and decriminalise cannabis. Although it is only a recommendation,
campaigners say it represents a symbolic step forward.