Pubdate: Sun, 14 Jul 2002
Source: Observer, The (UK)
Copyright: 2002 The Observer
Contact:  http://www.observer.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/315
Author: Kamal Ahmed
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)

DRUGS TSAR WARNS OF CANNABIS CRIME WAVE

The controversy over Britain's cannabis laws took a new twist last night 
when the Government's former 'drugs tsar' launched a blistering attack on 
the policy, claiming that crime would soar as a result of increased dealing.

In an interview with The Observer, Keith Hellawell, who announced that he 
was quitting the post last week, said the public now thought the Government 
had gone 'soft on drugs'.

He confirmed that he was writing a 'tell all' book. Published by Harper 
Collins in the autumn, it will increase the controversy around official 
drugs strategy.

Hellawell will say that he was knifed in the back by Whitehall officials 
who launched a vicious spin campaign to undermine him over the last year.

Hellawell also revealed that the Prime Minister was against any moves to 
downgrade cannabis to a Class C drug until after the general election last 
year.

'He [the Prime Minister] was absolutely clear there was no change on the 
law, no softening on cannabis,' Hellawell said. 'They didn't want to be 
seen as going soft on drugs.

'It was to be a common sense approach. The central issue was the drugs that 
do most harm - heroin and cocaine. It was to be a single-minded approach; 
cannabis was a distraction from the main show.'

Hellawell's statement will fuel speculation that Downing Street is still 
nervous about last week's decision to reclassify cannabis as a Class C drug.

The drugs tsar revealed that he had warned Tony Blair by letter last summer 
that new rumours that cannabis law was to be relaxed had to be rebutted. It 
was only 48 hours later that Downing Street began a briefing operation that 
the policy had not changed.

Although Home Secretary David Blunkett, who drove through the cannabis move 
in the teeth of fierce opposition, coupled the decision with an increase in 
sentences for cannabis dealers, Hella-well said people would 'think it was 
all right' to take the drug.

'The real issue is that the way the Government has handled the change in 
policy on cannabis is causing confusion, the consequences of which will be 
de facto decriminalisation of cannabis, because the police will not act, 
because they don't act in relation to Valium and anabolic steroids [two 
other Class C drugs].'

Asked directly whether the change in the law would lead to more 
drug-taking, Hellawell said: 'The evidence from elsewhere is that it does. 
The people who have been deterred from taking canna-bis because it is 
illegal will certainly have the impression that it is all right to do it.'

Asked if there would also be a connected increase in crime, he replied: 'Yes.'

Hellawell said that his original 10-year strategy on drugs, agreed by the 
Prime Minister and the former Home Secretary, Jack Straw, had been badly 
undermined by the new cannabis initiatives.

'They pre-empted everything with a huge blood-letting about how bad I was, 
how awful I was,' he said. 'It all came out after the last election and 
clearly they are regurgitating that now.

'Everyone has been quite happy to put the knife into me. The Government was 
clearing the decks for this experiment, and I was in the way.

'Between then and now there has been a denial that there has been a 
strategy in place, a void has been created to leave the impression that 
this week's announcement is something new and is going to help progress on 
this issue.

'This is part of the spin machine, they like to make announcements, they 
like to show that things are happening, they always need an initiative.

'The drugs issue is too important to be dealt with so lightly.'
- ---
MAP posted-by: Ariel