cannabisnews.com: Legalise Cannabis Hint From Mowlam Legalise Cannabis Hint From Mowlam Posted by FoM on February 07, 2000 at 08:30:15 PT By Nicholas Watt, Political Correspondent Source: NewsUnlimited Drugs in Britain: Special Report:Mo Mowlam yesterday set herself at odds with Downing Street's hardline anti-drugs policy when she held out the prospect that cannabis could eventually be decriminalised. Weeks after admitting that she smoked marijuana as a student in the early 1970s, the minister in charge of the government's drugs strategy said on GMTV: "I never cancel anything in or anything out." Her remarks came after Keith Hellawell, the anti-drugs tsar, called on police to concentrate on the threat posed by hard drugs rather than be distracted by softer drugs. In an interview with the Observer Mr Hellawell said: "What I have done is lift the stone on the hidden truth about drugs in Britain, which is that we need to discriminate between different drugs and the relative harm caused and then talk openly about the difference we can make." Ms Mowlam, the cabinet office minister, agreed that the government and the criminal justice system were concentrating their resources on the "killer drugs". She said: "Obviously the killer drugs - heroin, cocaine, ecstasy - we are focusing on harder. We have got a 10-year strategy ... It is not going to happen overnight but we are making progress." Ms Mowlam insisted that she was not calling for cannabis to be decriminalised or for new laws to be introduced to allow offenders to escape prison as proposed in a forthcoming report by the Police Foundation. Ms Mowlam hinted that changes could be introduced at a later stage. "At the moment there is no current intention so to do." Her remarks came close to breaching the hardline stance of Tony Blair and Jack Straw. Clare Short was famously rebuked when she raised the possibility of decriminalising marijuana and it is no secret that other ministers are sympathetic to a more flexible approach. But the Tory leader, William Hague, provided a timely reminder yesterday of why Downing Street has adopted such a tough stance. In an in terview with BBC1's Breakfast with Frost, Mr Hague said he was concerned by Mr Hellawell's remarks. "We shouldn't take our eyes away from cannabis and the other soft drugs because it is very clear, from talking to police around the country, that that often leads to the hard drugs." Mr Hague said that policies to be announced this week will call for children to be taught of the dangers of illegal drugs through the national curriculum and for anyone caught with drugs within 400 yards of a school to be subject to heavier penalties. "There is a serious crisis in this country [including] many parts where you wouldn't expect it or suspect it". Published: February 7, 2000 Guardian Unlimited © Guardian Newspapers Limited 2000 Related Articles:M0'S Drugs Stance Risks Blair Wrathhttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4451.shtmlNo Clash Over Cannabis - Government http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4443.shtmlBritain's Anti-Drug Chief Mowlam Smoked Cannabishttp://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4335.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #7 posted by howie on February 08, 2000 at 17:59:17 PT: The Real Deal Let us not be fooled. The dissent amoung the prohibitionists on Downing St. is merely a party tactic. It is a diversion. This is clearly an effort to appease and temper the UK's growing cannabis movement. Mowlam said she has NO intention of changing the cannabis laws, period. Her words should be viewed as simply MORE meaningless rhetoric. Things are not getting better ANYWHERE. The dominate world powers will fight to their last breath concerning cannabis prohibition. Freeing up the herb means TOTAL destruction of their narco, nuclear, pharmaceutical, WTO, military, industrial police state. Legalizing weed will topple the dominant paradigm and THEY know that. My thought is that THEY would sooner legalize murder than legalize weed. The fact is, people, that weed freedom is a long, long way off.... if ever. You can bet that the penalties for drugs and WEED, in particular, will become even more strict with the next president. We thought they would ease up on weed a little with Clinton didn't we? WRONG! Just wait until the HATCH/FEINSTEIN bill becomes law and then we won't even be allowed to EVEN TALK ABOUT WEED ANYMORE!!! It's gonna be extremely bleak before we see ANY light on this issue. FREEDOM OF WEED IS THEIR DOWNFALL! ..... do we think they will give up so easily? Jah help us all. [ Post Comment ] Comment #6 posted by military officer guy on February 07, 2000 at 16:38:02 PT yet another victory like my subject says, another victory in this long drawn out war...little by little we're chewing away at this cause that we're all fighting...keep it up everyone...awesome pages like this help in a big way, cheers to FoM... [ Post Comment ] Comment #5 posted by Alexandre Oeming on February 07, 2000 at 12:40:16 PT: Oops I meant alcohol and tobacco, not booze. My bad. :) [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by Alexandre Oeming on February 07, 2000 at 12:37:36 PT: Think for yourself! >Mr Hague said he was concerned by Mr Hellawell's remarks. "We shouldn't take our eyes away from cannabis and the other soft drugs because it is very clear, from talking to police around the country, that that often leads to the hard drugs." People that refuse to think for themselves (read: this guy) really irk me. This dinosaur still believes the gateway theory! I'd like to sit him down for a little one-on-one about how MJ is a gateway, but alcohol and booze are not and why. It'd be fun to watch the slug squirm for a while. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by FoM on February 07, 2000 at 11:39:32 PT Progress! That's Great! Hi all!It is good news! It's too late to try to put cannabis back in the dark ages. We have exposed the truth about this herb and it's just a matter of time and like many believe, whichever presidental candidate gets a little backbone and says let's change these laws against marijuana, they will win! Don't their political advisors see what it did for Governor Ventura? He was made almost a hero! Gore is gaining in popularity while Bush's campaign is getting fuzzy so if I were a political advisor I'd be planning reforming hemp and marijuana laws this year! I really do believe that the one that did would win the election because marijuana is only an herb but this issue is personal moral freedom and personal responsibilty for our own actions I think.Thanks Rainbow! That was nice and you are very welcome.Peace, FoM! [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on February 07, 2000 at 10:52:11 PT The flood begins What is so unusual - and so hope inspiring - about these developments in the UK is that party discipline has always been much more heavily stressed there than here in the States. Divergent opinions generally were reserved to the 'loyal opposition' to make, *not* the party in power. Those in power often slavishly devoted themselves to repeating their own party's rhetoric with no tolerance for dissent. In short, they might know a program is wrong, but they wouldn't dare speak up and say so.But now, some major cracks have stretched across the Liberal Party's framework when it comes to the matter of the DrugWar. Ms. Mowlam and Mr. Hellawell both seem to have made a realization many of our own pols, besotted by their own DrugWar rhetoric, have yet to make. That is, they waste an enormous amount of time, effort and money pursuing those who do little or no harm to society (cannabis users) when their resources would be more efficiently used.First a drop. Then a trickle. Then a stream. Then a river. Little by little the reality of the situation intrudes upon the cloud-cuckooland Drug Free World of the DrugWarriors. In time they'll either realize that they will be swept away by a flood of change and act sensibly - or they'll stand their ground, shouting their slogans to the end, until they drown.Either way, our cause is winning. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by Rainbow on February 07, 2000 at 09:52:30 PT McCzar I wonder what the barry institution in Wash DC is thinking about this round of events.Britain is supposed to be a close ally. Maybe to us and not the propaganda creators. It must be quite disconcerting for him to loose his support from the UK and it looks like Canada. The other foreign country California and Alaska seem to be thumbing their noses at barry and the DC bunch as well.This is really a nice turn of events and a shift of emphasis.The more I talk about the subject to friends and family the more I realize there are a lot of us who feel the politicians are wrong. I used to think it was me and kept it in a closet. FoM thanks for this site and the Rainbow page.CheersRainbow [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: