LIB DEMS VOTE TO LEGALISE CANNABIS AND PRESCRIBE HEROIN TO ADDICTS

Liberal Democrats yesterday voted for the most radical drug policy of any
mainstream political party by voting to legalise the use of marijuana and
end jail sentencesfor possession of all other drugs, including cocaine,
ecstasy and heroin.

The supply and use of cannabis should be legalised and regulated, the party
decided, opening the door to an Amsterdam-style "coffee shop'' culture in
Britain.

Prosecution for growing cannabis for personal use should be abolished and
adults who supply "spliffs'' to their friends should not be charged, the
party decided yesterday. Drugs such as ecstasy should be reclassified from
Class A to Class B.

In a heated debate at their Spring Conference in Manchester, delegates
voted to redirect police time to catching drug traffickers and to end
prison terms "for personal use of illegal drugs of any class".

They voted for stiffer penalties for dealers who sell drugs near schools or
psychiatric hospitals and to make roadside drug testing of motorists
official party policy. The vote, which would mean that the use of any drug
would no longer be a criminal offence, received overwhelming support.

The Lib Dems committed themselves to renegotiating international treaties
"in the longer term'' to allow Britain to "put the supply of cannabis on a
legal regulated basis''. They also voted to accept an amendment calling for
doctors to be given the power to prescribe heroin to addicts.

Yesterday, doctors and students joined MPs and barristers in voting to
liberalise Britain's drugs laws. Mark Simons, a member of Liberal Democrat
Youth and Students and a cannabis user, said it should be "legalised as
soon as possible". "Relaxing with a spliff is just as natural as with a
glass of wine,'' he said.

Chris Davies MEP, who is facing prosecution for possession of cannabis,
argued that devoting 70 per cent of drug-related police time to cannabis
users was "the policing priority of a madman''.

His view was supported by Dr James Walsh, a GP who said that it was
"hypocrisy'' to allow alcohol and tobacco use while outlawing cannabis.

The party also voted to make cannabis available by prescription for
medicinal use after drug trials.

Simon Hughes, Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman, said: "With so many
people using cannabis regularly it is self-delusion to pretend that
prohibition is working. The evidence is that cannabis does less harm than
many other current illegal drugs, let alone legal drugs such as alcohol and
tobacco."