MAKE CANNABIS LEGAL NOW

The Government's drug advisers are set to call for the legal downgrading of
cannabis - a step which will mean that possession of the drug will no
longer be an arrestable offence. This was one of the key demands of this
newspaper's campaign for decriminalisation.

Reclassification of cannabis to a class C drug is the first step towards a
more enlightened approach to drugs in Britain. When we began our campaign,
it was widely deemed daring or even dangerous.

It is heartening how quickly the national debate on drugs has matured. What
was then seen as a minority view now has the support of a Home Secretary
not otherwise known for liberal tendencies and a substantial number of
senior figures in both opposition parties. Even an initially sceptical Tony
Blair has been won over by David Blunkett's arguments that too much police
time and money is wasted pursuing cannabis users.

We have always maintained that a harsh approach to cannabis is
counterproductive because it makes criminals of otherwise law-abiding
people. The Misuse of Drugs Act must be the most flouted piece of
legislation in British history. The Government should now show that it has
the courage of its convictions and formally decriminalise the drug.

The Liberal Democrats' decision yesterday to make such a move party policy
is an example to follow. That party's further recommendations that Ecstasy
be reclassified and those who commit drug-related crimes should not face
prison may be moves too far. But they remind us of the importance of
continually reviewing our thinking on drugs.

The present situation is highly unsatisfactory. More school-age children
are using the drug by the year, so the Just Say No message is clearly not
getting through. The illegality of cannabis has also meant that, in
acquiring the drug, teenagers were likely to be exposed to other, more
harmful substances. Certainly, there must be strong disincentives to
supplying drugs to children. But there is no point in kidding ourselves
that the present restrictions are having a deterrent effect: they are not.

The messages sent by successive governments on drugs have been distrusted
because they lacked frankness. Minimising harm should be the watchwords of
policy-makers. We said that at the start of our campaign. The message has
finally been heard.