Tory leader-in-waiting asked to explain decision as Home Secretary to free 18m smuggling pair? The Tory leader-in-waiting, Michael Howard, was under pressure last night to explain his role in obtaining a royal pardon for two of Britain's most notorious drug barons. John Haase and Paul Bennett were released in July 1996 when Howard was Home Secretary, after serving just 11 months of their 18-year sentences. Haase is now serving 13 years in jail for money-laundering and supplying guns to Glasgow gangsters and there is a warrant out for Bennett's arrest on drug-smuggling charges. [continues 703 words]
The conservative coalition led by the Christian Democrats that currently governs the Netherlands has floated a proposal to restrict access to the country's famous cannabis coffee shops to Dutch nationals. The government has said it is responding to foreign pressure, notably from Germany, whose hash-hungry citizens flood across the border by the thousands each day to score, but the attack on the coffee shops fits precisely with the coalition's own anti-drug agenda. The Netherlands effectively decriminalized marijuana possession in 1976, and in the years since, the country's coffee houses have been tolerated as a technically illegal but socially acceptable means of allowing for the consumption and sale of cannabis. [continues 919 words]
House of Commons Passes Cannabis Rescheduling Bill The British House of Commons Wednesday approved a government-sponsored bill that will reschedule cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug, putting marijuana in the category of least serious drugs, along with steroids and some anti-depressants. By an overwhelming vote of 316-160, British parliamentarians approved the measure that will effectively decriminalize marijuana use and possession on January 29. By rescheduling cannabis, lawmakers have removed the police power to arrest marijuana users -- except in special circumstances. Now, in most cases, pot possession law violators will be subject solely to a ticket and fine and loss of their stashes. [continues 1209 words]
ESSEX MP's have Slammed government plans to downgrade cannabis from a class B to a class C drug. Under Home Secretary David Blunket's proposals, possessing the drug will no longer be an arrestable offence. It is hoped the reclassification will allow police to concentrate their efforts on tackling class A drugs. But the proposals; debated in the Commons yesterday (Wed) have met with strong Opposition from MPs and pro-cannabis groups. Angela Watkinson, Tory MP for Upminster, said she would vote against the plans, as cannabis was the "gateway" for users to "take stronger drugs". [continues 263 words]
MR. DAVID MARSHALL Does my hon. Friend share my concern that this order will result in a much greater use of cannabis, which will consequently impose much greater strains on the national health service, and will also lead to people combining cannabis with alcohol and a significant increase in the number of road traffic accidents? Statistics and information are available that indicate that that is already happening. KATE HOEY I agree with my hon. Friend. I do not have time to discuss the health risks, but anyone who has listened to those who treat youngsters at the sharp end in the health service cannot fail to see that this order sends out a message that will lead, perhaps not immediately but in the long term, to more people taking cannabis and to a huge strain on our national health service. The fact that it is being reclassified, which effectively means that people think that it is legal, means that the peer pressure among young people will be much stronger. At the moment, at least young people can say, "This is not legal," if drugs are pushed at them-at least they have that kind of excuse if they do not want to take the drug but are not feeling particularly confident. Again, this order sends out the wrong message on that. [continues 2363 words]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (Caroline Flint): I beg to move, That the draft Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) (No. 2) Order 2003, which was laid before this House on 11th September, be approved. [i.e. cannabis is reclassified to class C] The House divided: Ayes 316, Noes 160. Abbott, Ms Diane Ainger, Nick Ainsworth, Bob (Cov'try NE) Alexander, Douglas Allan, Richard Allen, Graham Anderson, Janet (Rossendale & Darwen) Armstrong, rh Ms Hilary Atherton, Ms Candy [continues 1344 words]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Department (CAROLINE FLINT) I beg to move, That the draft Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 (Modification) (No. 2) Order 2003, which was laid before this House on 11th September, be approved. [Relevant documents The Third Report from the Home Affairs Committee, Session 2001 02, on The Government's Drugs Policy Is it Working?, HC 318-I, and the Government response thereto, Cm 5573, together with the Home Office Departmental Report 2003, Cm 5908, and the Sixth Report from the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee, Session 2002 03, on The Illegal Drugs Trade and Drug Culture in Northern Ireland Interim Report on Cannabis, HC 353, and the Government response thereto, Sixth Special Report from the Committee, HC 935.] [continues 2051 words]
MR. OLIVER LETWIN (WEST DORSET) The motion is, in practice, only part of the jigsaw that the Government have constructed. The purpose of the jigsaw is clear to get to the point at which there is crypto-legalisation of cannabis, in the sense that most young people will be only marginally deterred from taking it. They may be arrested, and they will be warned-and the warning will be that if they are subsequently arrested they will be warned. At the same time, the Government intend to strengthen the prohibition on the sale of cannabis, or rather to retain its present strength. The Minister made it clear that that is the admitted effect of the policies that she announced today. [continues 1513 words]
TOM LEVITT (HIGH PEAK) We have had this debate for countless decades. There have been endless reports. Does the right hon. Gentleman accept that the Runciman committee, the Home Affairs Committee and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs all made this recommendation? How many more committees must we have before we make a rational decision based on scientific evidence? MR. LETWIN I do not think that a thousand committees will ever diminish the fact that when this order-I realise that the Government will use their majority to get it through-and the accompanying legislation have gone through the two Houses of Parliament, young people will be enticed to buy more, or more often, a substance from dangerous criminals, and they will then be led into hard drug use. That is not a rational policy and no number of committees will persuade me that it is. [continues 2047 words]
MPs today backed the downgrading of cannabis as ministers denied the move amounted to legalisation of the drug. The reclassification of cannabis from class B to class C was backed by 316 votes to 160, a majority of 156, despite Conservative warnings that it would lead more young people into hard drugs. The downgrading of cannabis is now scheduled to go ahead on January 29. Junior home office minister Caroline Flint said the change was part of an "honest and credible" strategy to tackle the scourge of drugs, denying it was tantamount to legalising the drug or would increase cannabis use. [continues 727 words]
MPs have voted to downgrade cannabis from a Class B to a Class C drug, putting it in the same group as anti-depressants and steroids. The changes, which will come into effect in the new year, mean penalties for possession of the drug will be lessened. But under guidelines drawn up by the Association of Chief Police Officers last month, police will still have the power to arrest users in special circumstances, such as when the drug is smoked outside schools. [continues 285 words]
For years, Andrew had been smoking joints, hanging around with boys slightly older than himself in his Worcestershire village. An intensely bright student who took all his exams two years early, it seemed to do him no harm. It was on a trip to New Zealand to see relatives that this changed. He had backpacked around the islands, smoked a fair amount of dope, made some new friends. 'He came back a different person,' his mother Pauline recalled. 'At first I thought it was jet lag, but then I realised this was something different. He turned to me and said he was God, and could blow out all the windows in our town just by thinking about it.' [continues 473 words]
LONDON: British deaths from ecstasy, cocaine and amphetamines have rocketed 47 per cent in the past year. The toll topped 1500 for the first time, fuelled by a rise in so-called "recreational" hard drugs taken by weekend users. Ecstasy, cocaine and speed are increasingly used by young people who take cocktails of drugs every weekend. The findings emerged in a study of coroners' reports which suggested stronger tablets, easier availability, falling prices and the growing popularity of drug cocktails were behind the rising death toll. [continues 356 words]
The family of an unarmed man shot dead by police at point-blank range in a bungled drugs raid will receive a formal apology this week, more than five years after the killing. The Chief Constable of Sussex, Ken Jones, will travel to Liverpool on Thursday to apologise to relatives of James Ashley, who was killed by a police marksman at his flat in St Leonards, near Hastings, in January 1998. The controversy surrounding the shooting led to the resignation in 2001 of Jones's predecessor, Paul Whitehouse, after Home Secretary David Blunkett intervened to say he should be sacked. [continues 402 words]
The family of an unarmed man who was shot dead by police during a bungled drugs raid is to get an apology from Sussex Police. The chief constable of the force, Ken Jones, is due to visit victim James Ashley's family on Merseyside this week - more than five years after the killing. Mr Ashley was in bed and unarmed when officers burst into his flat in Sussex in January 1998 and shot him at point blank range. An investigation revealed police guidelines had not been followed during the raid, and former chief constable Paul Whitehouse was later forced to resign over the inquiry. [continues 180 words]
Young musicians today are more likely than those of previous generations to decry the harm that drugs can cause, according to research in America. The study, based on an analysis of drug lyrics in English-language popular music since the 1960s, was last week highlighted as one of the few pieces of good news in the annual survey by the European monitoring centre for drugs and drug addiction, the EU's drugs agency. The research, published by the University of Texas at Austin, explodes the conventional wisdom that popular music encourages teenagers to abuse drugs. The author, John Markert of Cumberland University, Tennessee, says that although there has always been a generally hostile attitude towards heroin and other hard drugs, teenage listeners today "are being exposed to more negative images of marijuana and LSD than older listeners". [continues 988 words]
Youth Organisation And Union Of Students File Complaints With Parliamentary Ombudsman Students at the Petolahti upper secondary school located in the communities of Maalahti and Korsnas were tested for drugs at the Maalahti health centre in Ostrobothnia two weeks ago. Among the 135 students, eleven over the age of 18 refused, and three were tested anonymously. The tests were carried out in order to detect the presence of hashish or signs of the use of sedatives. All the results came back negative. [continues 532 words]
Police sniffer dogs are the last line of defence as cannabis spreads throughout wards Sniffer dogs are being used on psychiatric wards across England to root out drug-dealing, which is becoming rife among patients. In a sign of a new 'zero-tolerance' attitude emerging in the NHS, local mental health managers have started to call in police with dogs to combat the problem. It is believed that around half the mental health trusts in the country have to contend with local drugs dealers who operate in and around hospitals. [continues 544 words]
After Years Of Tolerance, Foreigners Are To Be Excluded From Amsterdam's Cannabis Shops THOUSANDS of Britons who flock to the cannabis cafes of Amsterdam each year may be left stone cold by Dutch government plans to end "drug tourism". The Netherlands' conservative Government has just unveiled a scheme to restrict access to the country's drug-selling coffee shops to Dutch residents only. Coffee shops would be restricted to members, with membership permits sold only to local people. The Dutch city is renowned as the drugs capital of Europe, having become the destination of choice for revellers looking for the high life. Hundreds of coffee shops openly offer menus for different types of resin and grass. However, the Government is keen to clean up the country's image and has been under pressure from its more puritanical neighbours, particularly France and Germany, whose citizens flock across the Dutch border to buy cannabis. [continues 650 words]
I do not wish to turn Times Post into an agony column. But. Mr Buckland's rationale (Times Post.October 9) for not committing council resources to the cannabis debate: - "taking up the cause of a small pressure group" - requires a response. Resorting to derogatory remarks was not the best way to responded to a serious request for council forums, where local people can air their views on cannabis. Surely, council policy (statutory duty) is to consult with local people and their representatives on issues affecting their quality of life? [continues 111 words]
A thick pall of sweet-smelling hashish has hung over the Netherlands since the first "coffee shop" opened its doors in 1972. Since then, the country's famously relaxed drug laws have attracted droves of weed lovers from across the globe and earned the country a sometimes controversial reputation for unparalleled liberality. At its peak in 1997 the country's network of coffee shops ran to almost 1,200 cafes where anyone over 18 could exercise their legal right to buy up to five grams (a sixth of an ounce) of marijuana at a time. But thirty years later, the novelty appears to have worn off and the increasingly conservative Dutch authorities are drawing up plans to turn back the clock. [continues 586 words]
BRITAIN'S illicit drug use, particularly of cannabis, is among the highest in Europe, according to an EU report. It revealed 35% of 15 to 16-year-olds claimed to have tried the drug, putting the UK at the top of the table with France and the Czech Republic. Britain also had one of the highest numbers of people who had admitted sampling cannabis in their lifetime, with 30% overall and 42% of 15 to 34-year-olds having tried it. [continues 165 words]
Cannabis use among teenagers in the UK has begun to stabilise, but only because it is so widespread the market has become saturated, the European Union's drug agency warned yesterday. The EU monitoring centre on drugs and drug abuse also warned of new public health dangers from the increasing potency of cannabis available in Britain. It raised concerns about the long-term health implications of the emergence of a significant new group of teenage boys who are using cannabis intensively - more than 20 times a month. [continues 730 words]
Thousands of teenagers are putting their lives at risk by sniffing glue, lighter fluid and other substances, a report suggests. Figures from the EU drugs agency reveal that one in seven 15 and 16-year-olds in Britain abuse solvents. Officials said more teenagers probably died from sniffing solvents than died from taking ecstasy or other drugs. The report also raises concerns about alcohol abuse and the use of drugs like cannabis and cocaine. The figures are published in the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction's annual report. [continues 418 words]
I AM not surprised at the anger at the lenience of the sentence handed out to career criminal Kevin Matthews. There can be only one reason for locking a person up and that is if he is a threat to individuals and a threat to society, which Matthews obviously is. We have a Government and judiciary who are more determined to lock up harmless cannabis smokers than violent criminals. There are more than 1,000 cannabis-only prisoners in this country. Recent research has shown there is no real connection between cannabis use and crime other than being in possession of cannabis itself. Steve Pank Sandy Lane Ashby St Mary Norwich [end]
A new technique that rapidly analyses ecstasy tablets could provide an early warning system for rogue pills and also police help trace illicit manufacturers. The method uses Raman spectroscopy to produce a fingerprint for each ecstasy tablet. This reveals the concentration of the active ingredient MDMA plus the identity of any toxic contaminants. Researchers at Queen's University Belfast in Northern Ireland applied the technique to 1500 ecstasy pills and found that the dose of MDMA in each tablet varied enormously - by as much as five-fold. But they also discovered that none of the pills contained other toxic substances. [continues 333 words]
Where there's smoke, there's fire, said California's new governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the final days of his campaign in response to allegations of his harassing women. At the time, it seemed as though he was speaking metaphorically but, in retrospect, maybe he was pondering on the issue of what Californians smoke and where and what should be done about it. This week comes news of the latest extension of the various bans on smoking in the state. California has one of the strictest no-smoking policies in the world: no cigarettes in bars, restaurants, public buildings and some public parks. Now a Los Angeles city council member, Jack Weiss, wants to extend the ban to LA's beaches. A small town, Solana Beach, down the coast near San Diego, has just voted for such a ban. LA may follow suit. [continues 525 words]
I AGREE with Antonia Blaxland that a tolerant attitude is required towards those who prefer to use cannabis (A plea for more tolerance for all, EN, September 28), however, we also need a just society. The principle I invoke is that no one should be punished unless there are compelling reasons for doing so. In any attempt to evaluate the justice or injustice of our drug policy we must address whether the laws are just and whether cannabis possession is the kind of thing for which punishment is appropriate. [continues 85 words]
PHARMACEUTICALS: The claimed medical benefits of the controversial drug are being subjected to rigorous scientific testing. Queen Victoria took it for period pains. The Chinese mixed it with wine to make a powerful analgesic, while throughout medieval Europe it was taken to control epilepsy. Cannabis has been used by doctors for thousands of years. Until the emergence of the modern pharmaceuticals industry at the end of the 19th century, which shifted drug development from plants to synthetic chemicals, cannabis was a staple of the medicine chest. [continues 1084 words]
At one time, cannabis was thought to be a harmless recreational drug but increasingly evidence shows this isn't so, if it's used habitually. However, the medical usefulness of cannabis is now well recognised and doctors are using it to treat pain and relieve muscle spasms in multiple sclerosis. Miriam looks at latest findings in the big debate. There is a downside to excessive use of cannabis. It stays in the body far longer than alcohol - around two months. You may feel "sober" long before the effects have worn off but you shouldn't operate machinery or drive for four or five days after using it, as you're likely to have an accident in this state. [continues 859 words]
It Is Dishonest To Stigmatise Footballers Who Take Recreational Substances That Do Not Enhance Performance Few observers of football doubt the prevalence of drugs in the game. Not the performance-enhancing ones, but the ones some players take for fun. Cocaine in the nightclub after a game, marijuana at someone's house after the club, maybe some speed as a pick-me-up after the marijuana. A survey of 700 players conducted by the BBC earlier in the year found that 46% of them were aware of colleagues using recreational drugs. Such abuse must be "eradicated", said Gordon Taylor, the leader of the players' union, at the time. [continues 788 words]
One in seven people in this country suffers from chronic pain caused by conditions such as cancer, rheumatoid and osteo-arthritis, neuropathy and musculo-skeletal back problems, a survey announced yesterday. Other developed countries are similarly afflicted. Not surprisingly, with persistent pain so endemic in modern societies, a battery of drugs has been developed. Prime among these are the synthetic opioids that assist those plagued by everything from a slipped disc and toothache to terminal cancers. If painkillers merely killed pain they would be an unalloyed benefit to humankind. But that is not the end of the story. They can also become addictive, and in their role as little helpers to get you through the day, painkillers have become a multimillion pound industry with major dependency problems. [continues 221 words]
Men who smoke marijuana frequently damage their fertility in several different ways, research suggests. Scientists at Buffalo University found regular smokers had significantly less seminal fluid, and a lower sperm count. Their sperm were also more likely to swim too fast too early, leading to burn-out before they reach the egg. Lead researcher Dr Lani Burkman said: "The bottom line is, the active ingredients in marijuana are doing something to sperm." Marijuana contains several chemicals known to have an impact on human physiology, including THC (tetrahydrocannabinol). [continues 431 words]
In his attempt to justify the Government's U-turn on university students "top-up" fees, Charles Clarke said in an interview in Bournemouth that he considered it unfair that lorry drivers should have to pay to produce barristers, and that graduates would in the future earn enough to repay their education-incurred debts. I wonder whether Mr Clarke and his colleagues would now consider making an equivalent donation back into the public purse that provided grants for their own university education. [continues 157 words]
Posters have gone up in Washington bus shelters and underground stations in recent months, urging commuters to "Enjoy better sex: legalise and tax marijuana." The posters are sponsored by Change the Climate, one of two large lobbying operations urging Americans to reassess whether pot-smoking should be a criminal offence. (The other is Norml, the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws.) In spite of their misleading argument - for surely it is the smoking of marijuana, not the taxation of it, that delivers the alleged aphrodisiac kick - the posters have made many middle-aged Americans think about pot for the first time since university. [continues 896 words]
I must take issue with Alun Buffry of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance in his assertion that council "do not know the issues involved" in the argument over cannabis (Times Post, October 2) As someone who was for many years heavily involved, through my employment in the NHS, in the area of drugs and drug addiction I fully understand the differing view points on this issue. As an executive member of Braintree Council I am very willing to give up my time to discuss the issue. [continues 54 words]
In a single generation, says David Lovibond, drugs and drink have turned Devizes into a place of incoherent rage In better days the world left Wiltshire alone. Blighted by neither coastline nor famous hills, the county was merely on the way to somewhere else. In the heart of this fortunate backwater, Devizes was the very archetype of an English market town. There is a castle, a square big enough to have burned at least one Protestant martyr in, and fine curving terraces of Georgian houses paid for by Wiltshires fat cornlands. [continues 1216 words]
BUSES across the borough are to carry stern banners to try to stop young people going to pot. The 'Cannabis: Don't Blow It' campaign, backed by celebrities including Manchester United's Sir Alex Ferguson, aims to get across the legal and health implications of using drugs. Next week Stockport Drug Action Team hopes to get across the message that cannabis is still illegal and to give out advice through a number of events in the borough. Posters are being put up in public places and advisors will be on hand in supermarkets, with the help of local businesses. [continues 388 words]
GENEVA -- Philippe, 36, works for that abiding symbol of Swiss respectability -- a bank. He also likes to relax with a joint of marijuana after work. Until very recently, it looked as though his habit might soon cease to be a crime. But then Parliament killed government-backed legislation that would have decriminalized cannabis consumption. Last month's narrow 96-89 vote was ironic, because it leaves Switzerland -- a pioneer in drug liberalization -- on the "no" side in a gradual European trend toward softening marijuana laws. [continues 297 words]
A DRAMATIC rise in drug-taking and violence has taken place in Scotland's prisons, according to figures released yesterday. Scottish Prison Service statistics revealed that total offences have increased by 46 per cent in the past four years. Between 1999 and 2003, drug-taking and possession rose by 155 per cent, assault by 25 per cent, fighting by 75 per cent and fire-raising by 51 per cent. The flagship privately-run Kilmarnock Prison, which holds 8.1 per cent of the total prison population, accounted for 17.4 per cent of all incidents. [continues 226 words]
A Drugs Epidemic And Accompanying Crime Wave Is Sweeping Baghdad A boom in supply of hallucinogenic tablets has been coupled with the release of tens of thousands of criminals from prison before the US-led invasion to create a huge problem for the fledgling Iraqi police force. As well as the tablets, drugs like Valium and sleeping pills - in common use in Iraqi jails - are being used. The euphoria and lack of fear provided by the drugs, the police say, is giving desperate criminals the courage to carry out more crimes. [continues 531 words]
GENEVA - Philippe, 36, works for that abiding symbol of Swiss respectability - a bank. He also likes to relax with a joint of marijuana after work. Until very recently it looked as though his habit might soon cease to be a crime. But then Parliament killed government-backed legislation that would have decriminalized cannabis consumption. Last month's narrow 96-89 vote was ironic, because it leaves Switzerland - a pioneer in drug liberalization - on the "no" side in a gradual European trend toward softening the marijuana laws. [continues 742 words]
Lucy Cope, Whose 22-Year-Old Son Was Gunned Down Last Year, Says That The Killing Fields Are Now Taking In Middle England Lucy Cope's 22-year-old son, Damian, was shot dead outside a London nightclub in July 2002. Determined that he should not have died in vain, Lucy has since joined the pressure group Mothers Against Guns and become one of its most outspoken and active campaigners. This is her story. 'It was 1.30am when the phone rang. My son's girlfriend was in floods of tears as she told me that Damian had been shot outside a nightclub and was fighting for his life in hospital. I picked up a picture of my son and ran out into the street. I already knew that I was never going to see him alive again. [continues 626 words]
A new squad to catch the middlemen flooding London with cocaine, heroin and synthetic drugs has been launched by the police and Customs. Operation Middle Market aims to locate those who store, sell and distribute drugs once they have entered the country. Though producers and sellers have been heavily targeted in recent years, relatively little attention has been paid to the entrepreneurs who make the supply chain work. Some of these are hardened criminals, involved in gang and drug activity, but others are seemingly respectable business people. Police intelligence suggests that some middlemen run food outlets, property and import/export companies which act as fronts for their illegal activities. [continues 459 words]
Further evidence has emerged that an ingredient of cannabis could help prevent epileptic seizures. Some experts are now calling for fresh research into the potential of cannabis-like compounds to help alleviate the condition. Researchers from Germany found that natural brain chemicals which resemble cannabis extracts can interrupt a process which can trigger a seizure. There have been trials of cannabis compounds in MS and cancer patients. There are reports dating from the 15th century talking about the use of cannabis to ease the symptoms of epilepsy. [continues 245 words]
May I commend the Evening News for its broad and fair coverage of opinions expressed by people in our community on important and controversial issues. I speak in general but foremost in my mind is the current debate between racists and bigots on the one hand and fair-minded,decent citizens on the other. My thanks go to those who have written replies to the recent letters from members of the BNP including Diane Smith (EN July 29) and those of Denise Soffe (EN August 18) and John Wright (September 9) [continues 167 words]
IT comes as no surprise that Braintree Council has refused a debate on the legalisation of cannabis and associated issues as requested by Don Barnard and backed by Councillor James Abbott (Times September 18). Most councils, I feel would do the same. This is because they do not know the issues involved and are unable to argue in favour of continuing prohibition. They prefer to pass the buck to Westminster. But I was interested to read the comments of Graham Butland, executive councillor for health and community, who said: 'There are already forums where the issues could be raised and the council is only expected to debate issues where it can help." Where are these forums? We don't seem able to find them! Alun Buffry, Legalise Cannabis Alliance, P0 Box 198, Norwich, NR3 3WB [end]
In what would have been considered a surprise move up until recent weeks, the Swiss House of Representatives refused to pass a government-sponsored drug bill that would have legalized marijuana consumption and sales and set up a permanent framework for legally prescribed heroin. On September 25, the Swiss parliament's lower house voted 96-89 to take no action on the bill after an emotional debate. The bill will now go back to parliament's upper chamber, the Council of State, which approved it in December 2001 (http://stopthedrugwar.org/chronicle/177/swissdecrim.shtml). The Council of State can revise the bill or simply send it back to the House for reconsideration in a future session -- after the pending elections, which some blame for making it more difficult to pass the bill. [continues 802 words]
A GOVERNMENT agency is giving kids advice on smoking dope -- written on a giant Rizla packet. Parents have slammed leaflets that look like the cigarette papers, which are often used to roll cannabis joints. The drugs information sent to secondary schools includes a step-by-step guide on how to use cannabis -- including in bongs, cakes and on hot knives. Children who smoke too much are advised to limit their intake. But parents say career advice service Connexions is encouraging kids to take up pot. [continues 97 words]
GENEVA -- Philippe, 36, works for that abiding symbol of Swiss respectability - a bank. He also likes to relax with a joint of marijuana after work. Until very recently it looked as though his habit might soon cease to be a crime. But then Parliament killed government-backed legislation that would have decriminalized cannabis consumption. Last month's narrow 96-89 vote was ironic, because it leaves Switzerland - a pioneer in drug liberalization - on the "no" side in a gradual European trend toward softening the marijuana laws. [continues 742 words]
Inside Europe
