Pubdate: Wed, 10 Jul 2002 Source: Times, The (UK) Copyright: 2002 Times Newspapers Ltd Contact: http://www.the-times.co.uk/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/454 DRUGS ADVISER QUITS OVER NEW CANNABIS LAWS Keith Hellawell, the former "drugs tsar" today announced his resignation as a part-time Government adviser in a protest at the Home Secretary's plans for the biggest shake-up in drugs policy for 30 years. Mr Hellawell led a backlash against David Blunkett's move which will include the downgrading of cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug. The change will put cannabis in the same group as steroids and anti-depressants, effectively decriminalising the drug as possession of small amounts would no longer be an arrestable offence. Police would be limited to handing out penalty tickets to users, and it would mean the controversial cannabis experiment in Brixton, South London, will be extended across Britain. Mr Hellawell, side-lined last year as drugs tsar but retained as a part-time adviser, said he had written to Mr Blunkett to inform him of his resignation, but had so far had no response. Criticising the drugs law shake-up, he said: "It's moving further towards decriminalisation than any other country in the world. "I have resigned over this issue and over the issue of spin." A spokesman for the Home Secretary hit back at Mr Hellawell's criticism, claiming his stance on cannabis appeared to have changed since a meeting last year. "Keith Hellawell said to the Home Secretary in a meeting last autumn that he was fully supportive of the Home Secretary's proposal to reclassify cannabis," said the spokesman. "This was a meeting before the Home Secretary made his announcement to the Home Affairs Select Committee (revealing he planned to reclassify the drug). "He tendered his resignation last month to take effect in August but the Home Office kept this private at his request." Former minister Kate Hoey also predicted today that the Government may live to regret the decriminalisation of cannabis. The Labour MP, whose Vauxhall constituency is covered by the Metropolitan Police's "softly, softly" cannabis experiment, said the long-term effects of the drug were not known and rolling out the stance across the country would hit the most deprived areas. Ms Hoey told GMTV: "There are more drug dealers than ever, cannabis much more widely available. There is a mixed message being sent out. "On the one hand we're trying to say drugs are bad and at the same time cannabis is being seen as something that is just there, that people are smoking." The former minister at the Department of Culture, Media and Sport warned that dealers would target areas already suffering high levels of deprivation, with young people being picked out. She also attacked the cannabis experiment in Brixton where those found in possession of the drug are warned by police rather than being arrested, with the aim to divert policing to more serious crime such as tackling hard drugs like heroin and crack cocaine. Ms Hoey said in effect only 1.8 officers had been freed for other work because of the softer drugs policy. There has been confusion over when the changes expected to be announced by Mr Blunkett would come into force. Mr Blunkett is able to downgrade the drug by an "order in council", a Parliamentary procedure which can take effect immediately, although MPs have 40 days in which they can seek to nullify it. The Department for Education and Skills is known to be preparing guidance for teachers on the reclassification of cannabis, which suggests ministers want the change in place by Parliament's summer recess. But Mr Blunkett was also expected to announce that police will retain the power to arrest cannabis users in certain "aggravated" cases, such as when the drug is smoked outside schools. Such a move would require legislation which would take up to a year to become law. The Home Secretary was expected to counter allegations that he is going "soft on drugs" by announcing that maximum sentences for dealers of Class C drugs will be increased from five years to at least 10. However, opponents in the Conservative Party have pointed out this would still be less than the 14-year maximum currently available for cannabis dealers. There have been suggestions that Mr Blunkett was considering raising the sentence for Class C dealing even further, possibly to match the 14-year tariff, to undermine Conservative criticisms. Today's package was also expected to place a new emphasis on drug treatment and reducing the harm drug users cause themselves, but would rule out separate proposals to downgrade Ecstasy from Class A to Class B. The Tories launched an attack on Mr Blunkett's drugs policy by condemning the Brixton cannabis experiment as "disastrous". Iain Duncan Smith, the Tory leader, and shadow home secretary Oliver Letwin visited local residents in the South London district who claim the Metropolitan Police's "softly, softly" stance on the drug has made drug dealing rampant on their streets. Mr Duncan Smith urged the Home Secretary to abandon his plans as it was "handing drug policy over to the criminals". - --- MAP posted-by: Derek