SOFT ON DRUGS

DAVID BLUNKETT likes to style himself as a tough operator.

Whether it is threatening criminals with long sentences, or police forces
with sanctions that threaten their cherished tradition of independence, the
Home Secretary wants it to be known that he is not a man to be trifled with.

So why is Mr Blunkett running up the white flag in the face of the drug
threat now facing Britain? Why is the politician who likes to portray
himself as the scourge of the criminal classes announcing a de facto
decriminalisation of cannabis which sends the message to young people that
this is a relatively harmless drug, in the face of medical evidence to the
contrary, and tells dealers that the Government is admitting defeat on this
particular front?

Mr Blunkett, of course, denies these charges.

As he told MPs yesterday, by reclassifying cannabis so that possession is
no longer an arrestable offence, he is not surrendering to the drugs barons.

On the contrary, by diverting valuable police time from the pursuit of
so-called recreational drug users, he is effectively giving officers more
resources with which to tackle the drugs that cause the most harm, heroin
and crack cocaine, to apprehend the criminal gangs that traffic in them and
to concentrate on reducing street crime.

Moreover, by giving cannabis a class-C designation, the Home Secretary is
ensuring that it remains illegal and recognised as a harmful substance.

This would be all well and good if Mr Blunkett's move were based on solid
evidence that a lenient stance on cannabis really would help to reduce the
trade in hard drugs.

All the indications from the experiment in soft treatment of drug users
that has been held in Brixton, however, suggests otherwise. Since this
risky pilot scheme began, the crime-ridden streets of this South London
suburb have become even more of a haven for drug dealers and a prized
destination for drug tourists.

Even more worrying, the use of cannabis among the teenage school population
of Brixton is on the increase, with many children now seen smoking on their
way to school and in their lunch break.

This is hardly a recipe for improving academic standards in an area noted
for poor exam results and meagre job prospects.

In short, the consequences of this experiment for the law-abiding majority
in Brixton have been disastrous. Rank-and-file police officers, who admit
that the scheme has failed, are having to turn a blind eye to dealers
openly touting their wares on the streets.

These dealers, however, are supplying not only cannabis, but also heroin
and cocaine.

In other words, they are a gateway to drug addiction and a catalyst for a
renewed crimewave.

Yet, following Mr Blunkett's announcement yesterday, the Brixton experiment
is to be extended to the rest of London in the autumn and eventually,
presumably, to towns and cities across Britain.

The Home Secretary is right not to want to waste police time on pursuing
casual users of cannabis and to concentrate on those dealing in harder
drugs. But the police have traditionally used their discretion in this
area, discretion which Mr Blunkett is now removing and replacing with
complex guidelines for when and when not to take action, which many
officers are already saying is too confusing.

Instead of allowing police forces the freedom to tailor drugs procedures to
local conditions, Mr Blunkett is repeating his familiar failing of being
overly prescriptive. In this case, however, a set of tough edicts for the
police may translate into a soft touch for the drug dealers.