Top drugs adviser quits over cannabis plans
Guardian
Wednesday July 10, 2002
Government drugs adviser Keith Hellawell today announced his resignation in protest at the home secretary’s proposal to reclassify cannabis from class B to class C.
Mr Hellawell, the former drug tsar who is now a part-time adviser, also attacked as “spin” the government’s relaunching of its 10-year drugs strategy.
He said he had written to David Blunkett to inform him of his resignation.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It’s moving further towards decriminalisation than any other country in the world.
“I have resigned over this issue and over the issue of spin.”
Mr Hellawell, who was a chief constable before the prime minister, Tony Blair, appointed him to address international drugs issues, added: “I’m against it because of the message it gives. It’s actually a technical adjustment which in the reality of the law doesn’t make a great deal of difference.
“But it’s been bandied about by people as a softening of the law. It is a softening of the law and it’s giving the wrong message.
“It’s a personal initiative of David Blunkett. I don’t know where he got his advice from, he certainly didn’t get it from me.
He added: “But there is no evidence at all to indicate that there is any change in the system.
“Even his own committee says that cannabis is a dangerous substance, there’s an increase in use among young people, there’s an increase in people who are seeking treatment for the drug, and even in that report it does recognise that there is a link between cannabis and harder drugs.
“So why on earth, when there are these problems, we change our message and give a softer message, I do not know.”
A spokesman for the home secretary hit back at Mr Hellawell’s criticism, claiming his stance on cannabis appeared to have changed since a meeting last year.
“Keith Hellawell said to the home secretary in a meeting last autumn that he was fully supportive of the home secretary’s proposal to reclassify cannabis,” said the spokesman.
“This was a meeting before the home secretary made his announcement to the home affairs select committee [revealing he planned to reclassify the drug] .
“He tendered his resignation last month to take effect in August but the Home Office kept this private at his request.
“The home secretary’s drug strategy to be announced this afternoon is not an alternative strategy but one that will build on the achievements of the first term while focusing on the challenges ahead,” he added.
Downing Street said today that officials were “bemused” by Mr Hellawell’s comments.
“He has had three meetings with (drugs minister) Bob Ainsworth and hasn’t indicated any concerns on this front,” said the spokesman for the prime minister, Tony Blair.
Mr Hellawell responded that he was puzzled why officials were claiming he had given his approval to Mr Blunkett’s reclassification plan.
“I only had one meeting with him which was quite short and covered a range of topics including policing and other matters. I expressed reservations about reclassification,” he said.
Also criticising what he called government spin, Mr Hellawell said: “Also today I understand, although I’ve been kept out of the discussions on this, there’s going to be a re-launch of the [drugs] strategy.”
He said he had become more concerned that the government was not addressing the strategy, adding: “There is just a sort of a re-packaging, a re-spinning of the issue to appear as if something has been done, and this is causing a great deal of problems on the streets, it’s causing a great deal of problems for parents who just don’t know where they are.
“Drugs are so important to all our families in this country, the politicians should not make political play out of it and should not take advantage by making political statements.”
