Make Cannabis Legal, Says Indy On Sunday

The Independent on Sunday has become the first national newspaper to campaign
for the decriminalisation of cannabis.

In today's edition, the newspaper vows to continue its campaign "until the law
is changed and possession of marijuana for personal use is no longer an
offence".

An article headlined "The time is right to decriminalise cannabis" says some 100
celebrities, politicians, business leaders and doctors, including Sir Paul
McCartney and Richard Branson, have signed a petition supporting the move.

Yet the campaign, launched on the eve of the Labour Party conference, was also
condemned by antidrugs campaigners, such as Paul Betts, father of teenage
Ecstasy victim Leah Betts.

Explaining the newspaper's reasons for the move, editor Rosie Boycott who
admitted having started smoking "pot" in 1968 but said she did so "hardly at all
nowadays" hit out at the "hypocrisy" of banning cannabis but keeping alcohol
legal.

Ms Boycott, who made the decision to launch the campaign back in June, says that
as a "recovered alcoholic" she has "experienced the terrible consequences of
booze".

She writes: "Alcohol is aggressive, cannabis is passive. No one to my knowledge
has ever killed or even hurt another while stoned on cannabis. No one has
ever been disfigured by a joint.

"The truth is that most people have smoked at one point in their lives. They
hold down jobs, bring up their families, run major companies, govern our
country. They are not criminal."

She also said that decriminalising cannabis would free police resources to deal
with drug dealers and argued there was no evidence that smoking cannabis created
the desire for harder drugs.

The newspaper is calling for the Government, which is preparing to appoint a
USstyle "drugs czar" to coordinate the antidrugs effort, to back the "lawful
use of cannabis for medicinal and recreational purposes".

Ms Boycott told PA News: "I think we can win this campaign. It may take a long
time, but I believe we have right on our side. We need a more open debate about
the whole drugs policy in this country.

"We wouldn't do something like this simply for publicity it is a responsible
message that I believe passionately in."

One of those backing the campaign is Paul Flynn, Labour MP for Newport East. He
will ask the allparty Drugs Misuse Group, when it meets on November 5 at
Westminster, to back new research to establish the virtues of cannabis use.

Mr Flynn wrote in the newspaper: "Is the answer to get tough, to crack down on
pushers and users? It's been done and failed.

"America has had a 20year war against drugs. The result? Drug use, drug crime
are the worst they have ever been."

Detective Chief Inspector Ron Clarke, a recentlyretired member of the Greater
Manchester Drugs Squad, added: "You could save an absolute fortune in police
time and money at a stroke.

"And that money could be better spent on health awareness and education
programmes."

Sir Paul said: "I support decriminalisation. People are smoking pot anyway and
to make them into criminals is wrong."

Copyright 1997 Press Association Limited.