Pubdate: Mon, 12 Feb 2007
Source: Mirror, The (UK)
Copyright: 2007 The Mirror
Contact:  http://www.mirror.co.uk/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1161
Author: Oonagh Blackman, Political Editor
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?207 (Cannabis - United Kingdom)

ABSOLUTELY SPLIFFING

Cameron Did Smoke Dope At Eton And Oxford But He Still Refuses To Say 
Anything About It

DAVID Cameron faced damaging questions about his  honesty last night 
after refusing to comment on  revelations that he DID smoke cannabis 
at Eton and  Oxford.

A new biography discloses that the Tory leader narrowly  avoided 
being expelled from Eton aged 15 for smoking  "spliffs".

It also refers to his "infrequent and moderate"  consumption of 
cannabis during his three years at  university.

Declaring that Mr Cameron's integrity could become an  election 
issue, a Labour source said: "Nobody cares  what drugs he took, or 
how recently he stopped taking  them.

"The question is, why isn't he just upfront and honest  with the 
people about it? What has he got to hide?"

Mr Cameron has previously refused to comment on claims  he took 
drugs. Yesterday, he was still staying mum.

Speaking outside his expensive farmhouse in Dean,  Oxfordshire, he 
said: "Like many people I did things  when I was young that I 
shouldn't have done, and that I  regret.

"I'm not issuing a denial. What I'm saying is that I  think it's an 
important principle that politicians are  entitled to a private past.

"Today, I'm a Member of Parliament putting myself  forward to be 
Prime Minister.

"You're perfectly entitled to follow me round, put  cameras up my 
nose, and have a good look at me.

But I wouldn't recommend it." There was no immediate  Tory backlash 
over the disclosures or Mr Cameron's  silence.

But ex-Tory Cabinet Minister Lord Tebbit warned: "My  advice to him 
would be: Get it out of the way and it  will be a seven-day wonder.

"If you don't, people will keep turning up another expose."

Mr Cameron's refusal to deny the claims could also make  him 
vulnerable to Gordon Brown, his probable rival in  the next election.

Mr Brown has made it clear he has never taken drugs.

The new biography, Cameron: The Rise of the New  Conservative, claims 
that in 1982 teenager Cameron  admitted to Eton head teacher Eric 
Anderson that he  smoked cannabis. He was named by another pupil.

In the school's worst drug scandal, seven pupils were expelled.

But because Cameron had only smoked the drug and not  dealt in it, he 
was confined to school grounds for two  weeks.

He was also fined and ordered to copy out hundreds of  lines of Latin 
verse, the book says. If true, the  revelations would make Mr Cameron 
the first leader of a  major party and first prospective Prime 
Minister to  have indulged in illegal narcotics.

In the Tory leadership election frenzy in October 2005,  Mr Cameron 
would only say that he had a "normal  university experience" when 
asked if he had taken  drugs.

He has also refused to comment on speculation that he  took cocaine 
when a PR executive with Carlton TV.  Yesterday Mr Cameron's close 
friend, Shadow Chancellor  George Osborne, declared: "The public 
really don't  care."

Mr Osborne, once pictured with an arm round a woman  described as a 
"cocaine-snorting hooker", said: "It's  not been denied by David.

"But he's also said that we're not in the business of  saying 
politicians can't have a private life before  they come into politics."

Shadow Foreign Secretary and former party leader  William Hague said: 
"We all did things we regret. It's  one of those things, I suppose.

"This makes no difference to my view of him or, I  think, to the view 
of most people in the country."

Shadow Commons leader Theresa May said: "Politicians  are entitled to 
a private past."

Oliver Letwin, chairman of the Tories" policy review,  denied the 
claims would damage Mr Cameron in the  voters' eyes.

He said: "I think he's done the right thing all along."  He also 
dismissed the suggestion that the focus on Mr  Cameron's privileged 
upbringing - and publication of  photos of him in a #1,000 tailcoat 
at Oxford's  champagne-quaffing Bullingdon Club - would damage his  image.

Labour Cabinet Ministers avoided going on the attack  publicly in a 
sign that attitudes to cannabis are now  far more liberal in Britain.

The drug has been reclassified from Class B to C and  possession is 
mostly dealt with by a caution.

Home Secretary John Reid said: "I think it was Andy  Warhol who said 
most statements could be answered with  the question 'So what?'

"I think this is one of those 'So what?' moments. Do we  really care 
if David Cameron some years ago was  involved in doing something 
wrong? "I think the public  will probably say 'So what, let's move on 
and find out  what he stands for'."

Last month, Mr Cameron said he would consider  legalising cannabis 
for medicinal use if he won power.  But he ruled out decriminalising 
it for recreational  use.

He said on his webcameron website: "If you  decriminalise, you 
increase the availability and make  it more difficult for parents 
trying to keep children  away from drugs."
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom