Pubdate: Tue, 10 Jul 2001
Source: This Is London (UK)
Copyright: 2001 Associated New Media Limited
Contact:  http://www.thisislondon.com
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1467
Author: Patrick Hennessy and Adam Blenford
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization)
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/pot.htm (Cannabis)

PORTILLO SUPPORTS CANNABIS CAMPAIGN

Michael Portillo has electrified the Tory leadership contest by saying that 
he believes a "strong enough case" has been made for legalising cannabis.

Only hours before MPs began voting in a ballot he is expected to top, the 
shadow Chancellor told reporters that Conservatives had to be "open to new 
thinking" and more in favour of "personal freedom" than Labour.

Mr Portillo made his comments, which go much further than his previous 
insistence that he had an open mind on the issue, in an interview in Lady 
Thatcher's former constituency of Finchley last night.

He said: "People are clearly debating this question about whether marijuana 
should be legalised. I think a strong enough case has been made for 
legalisation on the basis that marijuana is a drug that can be compared 
with alcohol and tobacco - and on the basis that kids are buying these 
things, and buying them from people who are involved in a very dangerous 
drugs trade, simultaneously.

"We have to look at this and I would propose that the party sit down, take 
the evidence and reach a conclusion. And I hope that we will be seen, in 
doing that, as being a party that is open to new thinking."

Only last week on the BBC's Question Time, Mr Portillo repeatedly refused 
to say whether he believed cannabis should be legalised, claiming only that 
the issue was "finely balanced".

His comments in Finchley go much further - and carry the risk of being very 
unpopular among Tory activists who will have the final vote on who succeeds 
William Hague as party leader.

Mr Portillo's cannabis remarks muddied the waters around his candidacy at 
the same time as he was facing claims that he failed to declare around 
UKP20,000 from speaking engagements while he was employment secretary in 
John Major's government in the mid-1990s.

He launched a strong fightback against the allegations, in The Guardian, 
claiming they were a Left-wing "smear" designed to damage him as MPs began 
voting on the leadership.

Mr Portillo admitted accepting the money for speaking to private dinners - 
mostly arranged by businesses. However, he insisted the money had been paid 
to his constituency association and that he had kept none of it.

The shadow Chancellor claims he complied fully with the Commons rules on 
declaring such payments in the Register of Members' Interests, which were 
less stringent at the time than they are now.

However, when he accepted the money, he was also under obligation to the 
ministerial code which ruled that any member of the government should not 
accept gifts or hospitality which "would or might appear to place him under 
an obligation".
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MAP posted-by: Terry Liittschwager