The Economist, that bastion of free-market thinking, has long advocated abandoning the war on drugs. Not all government ministers are so uptight about drugs. Mo Mowlam has stuck her head above the parapet on the issue of legalisation only to be slapped down. But it's a good bet that she is closer to the mainstream than her boss at No 10. That mainstream now includes papers like the Telegraph and the Mail.
Drugs is no longer a left-right issue.
It is one of those social issues, like abortion, that cuts across traditional party lines and as such allows New Labour considerable room for manoeuvre. The government will get a chance to see whether it is behind public opinion when Labour MP Paul Flynn introduces a bill to decriminalise the use of cannabis. He said he believes there has been a sea change in public attitude towards drug use. Even Tony Blair and Jack Straw might be a little shaken by the fact that they are outflanked on this policy on the left by the Daily Telegraph. I believe the whole population is moving in this direction.