Smoke Signals

James Brokenshire (Hornchurch) asked Drugs Minister Vernon Coaker this week how many trafficked children had been found to be working in cannabis factories. An important point - there is plenty of evidence to show there has been a huge shift in recent years from imported hashish from Morroco to home-cultivated cannabis. Vietnamese gangs have been behind a lot of it like they were in Canada. Vernon raised this point himself during the last Home Office questions in February hinting it was further reason for the Government to re-classify cannabis back to class B. And the answer to the question on trafficked children, um, just one actually.

Every Home Secretary seems to want to carry out their own cannabis review. The latest is at the PM's request. Announced in July the Government is likely to (eventually) make its decision public in early May after the disastrous local elections. The decision to return to Class B will be contrary to medical evidence and scientific advice provided by the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs. The role of this independant body will, in the event, be totally undermined.

Cannabis will then be classed with amphetamines as a drug of equivalent harm. Many young people may like a smoke but would not dream of putting speed up their noses. The credibility of drug education messages will be lost at a stroke.

But the Government will say they will be sending out a strong signal about drug use. Except cannabis use has been in decline for 10 years. The police say they need the law strengthened to be able to tackle cannabis growers. Except the penalties for cultivation for Class C and B drugs are identical. The priority given to drug dealing is an operational matter for each force so the classification of the drug is irrelevant.

There is no issue today which better shows up Labour in a classic third term mode. They are pandering blindly to the popular issues but blundering about like some drunken hippo and making matters a whole lot worse. The fact that the Tories support them in this spliff enterprise should tell them something.