Nick Clegg has accused the home secretary, Theresa May, of attempting to delete sentences from a Whitehall report after it concluded that there was no link between tough laws and levels of illegal drug use. The former deputy prime minister also said senior Conservatives, such as David Cameron and George Osborne, have failed to act on drug reform because they see the issue as a "naughty recreational secret" at Notting Hill dinner parties instead of a public health crisis. In an interview with the Guardian before a major UN conference on the global drug problem, Clegg said the Tories were failing to listen to warnings that the war on drugs had failed. [continues 638 words]
Pupils Accused of Knife or Drug Crimes Deserve a 'Fair Trial', Say Lawyers Headteachers will find it much more difficult to exclude children they suspect of serious offences such as drug dealing, carrying a knife or violent bullying if a major legal challenge is successful in the High Court. Lawyers say that children accused of the most serious wrongdoing are not being given a 'fair trial' and that government regulations are incompatible with the European Human Rights Act. If they win, a new regime would see schools facing the same stringent legal standards as those used in criminal courts. [continues 360 words]
Class C Status Helps Drug Slip Out Of Fashion The long smoke could be over. Cannabis has started to lose its fashionable lustre among young people, with Britain seeing the smallest increase in regular use in a decade. Contrary to claims that there has been an explosion in use since the government downgraded the classification of cannabis from Class B to Class C in January 2004, a new study has found that the increase in regular use fell to just 0.5 per cent in 2004, compared with 45 per cent at its peak in 1998. At the same time, the drug's image has slumped from the high days of the Nineties to a historic low. [continues 516 words]
Anushka Asthana Went To South London With UKP100 And A Shopping List Of Cannabis Varieties To Buy. 'You Can't Miss The Dealers,' Said A Friend Cannabis is getting stronger and becoming more readily available, according to popular belief. I set out into London last week with a shopping list in one pocket and UKP100 cash in the other to find out the truth. I was told to buy a mixture of hash, skunk, grass (or weed) and home-grown. The idea was to get a variety of ingredients so we could have a look at what the market had to offer and test potency. [continues 805 words]
