THE CASE AGAINST CANNABIS BRITAIN

THEY sit openly smoking their cannabis joints while families, including
some with small children, sit close by innocently enjoying the sunshine.
Passing youngsters who ask for a puff are happily obliged ... Welcome to
Cannabis Britain.

The weekend scenes at Hyde Park and in other parks around the country point
the way to life after David Blunkett's decision to relax the law on
cannabis. Parents must be in despair.

One of the strongest arguments they could use to persuade their offspring
to reject cannabis - that it was against the law - has been effectively
removed at a stroke. And at whose urging?

Greeted with widespread scepticism and foreboding, this move was not
something that the people of Britain either sought or want. It has been
foisted upon them because of the noisy and relentless demands of our
liberal metropolitan elites.

Yet despite the blithe assurances of this lobby and their sympathetic
'experts', countless thousands of parents can testify that cannabis IS the
gateway to harder drugs and that - as Dr Anthony Daniels chillingly
confirms in today's paper - its physical and psychological effects are
'numerous and dangerous'.

Nor can any credence by (sic) put on the somewhat illogical assurance that
the police will get tough on those who sell pot. Our report last week from
Brixton shows that getting the drug is as easy as buying a bag of crisps.
Our reporter bought from a pusher, unhindered, within a few feet of four
police officers. Why should anyone think this will change, now that
pot-smoking is no longer to be punished?

This is not the only illogicality in the government's approach. After all,
much time and money has rightly been spent on campaigns warning youngsters
off smoking and excessive drinking. Yet now they are given the message
that it is all right to appear in public with a spliff between their lips.

Do most decent people in Britain really want pot-smokers on every corner
and in every park? They do not? But in Britain, who cares what they think?