12/01/2008 00:00:00
UK: I was right to downgrade cannabis: David Blunkett
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David Blunkett has made an unexpected announcement, speaking out against
the governments attempts to reclassify cannabis back to a class B drug.
The former Home Secretary has launched an unprecedented attack on Prime
Minister Gordon Brown and his cabinets plans to apply tougher criminal
sentences on otherwise law abiding citizens who choose to use cannabis
instead of alcohol.
According to Mr Blunkett, reclassifying cannabis risks wasting police
time in pursuing casual users of the drug and he is also quoted as
saying David Blunkett MP feels "Politically liberated"
"I don't want the children of my Cabinet colleagues or the shadow
Cabinet to find that they are treated differently from the way their
parents were at university."
"There has been a marked fall", he continued, "in cannabis use, which is
as a result of people being better informed of the risks involved with
using the substance."
"I don't want the police to have to chase those who are foolish enough
to break the law by using small amounts of cannabis. I want them to
focus on the pushers and the traffickers.
"I understand the politics of sending signals, but I hope we don't throw
the baby out with the bath water. The police said my changes would give
them the freedom to target class A drugs. I would like them to continue
doing that."
Mr Blunkett also commented on the Labour party's flagging popularity,
saying "We don't need to be afraid of ideas and we do need to be bold.
The Cabinet needs to bed down a bit and gain in self-confidence and the
big challenge now is not only to be addressing issues a government can't
duck, but to think boldly and radically about the issues of the next 10
years."
Lack of strategic direction has been a criticism of Mr Brown privately
voiced by several former Blairite ministers.
http://cannazine.co.uk
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=13143
Author:
Cannazine via UKCIA
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