Ministers admit smoking cannabis
Jacqui Smith has admitted to smoking cannabis in her youth
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Thursday, 19, Jul 2007 11:55
Home secretary Jacqui Smith's admission that she smoked cannabis while at university over 25 years ago has sparked a wave of similar ministerial confessions.
Ms Smith, who became the first female home secretary in prime minister Gordon Brown's first cabinet, revealed the news the day after being tasked with heading a review of UK drug laws.
The home secretary said she "was wrong" to have smoked cannabis a few times at university and added she now knows how dangerous the drug can be.
After Downing Street said it would not control ministerial responses to the question of previous cannabis use, a number of other ministers followed Ms Smith in revealing their own experiences with the drug.
Home Office minister Tony McNulty admitted trying cannabis "once or twice" while at university, as did chief secretary to the Treasury Andy Burnham.
Chancellor Alistair Darling also admitted using cannabis while the BBC reported communities secretary Hazel Blears, transport secretary Ruth Kelly and business and enterprise secretary John Hutton saying they had once tried the drug.
Mr Brown, foreign secretary David Miliband and justice secretary Jack Straw all made it clear that they have never taken any illegal drugs.
Next week the government will launch a consultation on the UK's drug strategy, including working with people in drug treatment centres and drug users themselves.
The review will discuss whether cannabis in particular should be reclassified as a class B drug from its current class C grade.
Iain Duncan Smith recommended the move when the Conservatives unveiled their social justice policy group findings last week.
Shadow home secretary David Davis said: "We have long called for the reclassification of cannabis based on the science and evidence available which shows all too clearly the real damage this drug can do to people – especially young people."
Ms Smith is not the first government minister to have admitted smoking cannabis in their younger days.
Former home secretary Charles Clarke reportedly said he had tried the drug, while other politicians, such as Conservative leader David Cameron, have refused to answer the question based on an MP's right to a private life.
Ms Smith said she hoped young people could learn from her experience of doing something wrong and said she wanted to concentrate on the government's strategy - rather than her youth.