Thank you for your letter about the use of cannabis. I apologise for the long delay in replying, which is due to the fact that, before replying to you I wished to take the opinion from some of the agencies directly involved in dealing with drug abuse in the Norwich area.
While I am grateful for your views, I remain convinced that, in the current climate, it would be quite wrong for Parliament to send the signal that increasing use of drugs, of any kind, is acceptable in our society. It is for that reason that I strongly support measure to reduce use of other drugs, for example by banning tobacco advertsing across Europe and reducing levels of alcohol consumption while driving, as well as a wide range of educational and other measures. I believ that it is particularly important to target such measures towards the young.
While I acknowledge the force of some of your points, the above consideration leads me to the view that any significant change in the legal position in relation to cannabis is nor warranted.
Charles Clarke MP
Norwich South