Lords debate on motion to call attention to the drug classification system. Motion withdrawn.

Lords debate on motion to call attention to the drug classification system. Motion withdrawn.

My Lords, I actually said that I did not enjoy smoking myself, but it was hard to be at a party at which someone was not smoking. It was the denial by only three Members of the House that they had ever been at a party which amused me. The rest of...

My Lords, I actually said that I did not enjoy smoking myself, but it was hard to be at a party at which someone was not smoking. It was the denial by only three Members of the House that they had ever been at a party which amused me. The rest of...

My Lords, we shall study that with interest and again I am grateful for the clarification. I had not meant to be so provocative at the outset of my speech. The views of the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, are trenchant and well-known. It is fair to say that they do not coincide with...

My Lords, we shall study that with interest and again I am grateful for the clarification. I had not meant to be so provocative at the outset of my speech. The views of the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, are trenchant and well-known. It is fair to say that they do not coincide with...

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have participated in this fascinating debate. I am particularly grateful for the support that I received from the noble Lords, Lord Desai and Lord Mancroft, my noble friend Lady Murphy and the noble Earl, Lord Erroll, on the difficult issue of legalisation or prohibition. I was not surprised by the...

My Lords, I thank all noble Lords who have participated in this fascinating debate. I am particularly grateful for the support that I received from the noble Lords, Lord Desai and Lord Mancroft, my noble friend Lady Murphy and the noble Earl, Lord Erroll, on the difficult issue of legalisation or prohibition. I was not surprised by the...

My Lords, that is helpful, further elucidation. Those contributions were telling, welcome and entertaining in their own way. I was also very impressed by the noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, as I always am, for her invocation to the Government to become more scary in their campaign to frighten our younger generation about the dangers...

My Lords, that is helpful, further elucidation. Those contributions were telling, welcome and entertaining in their own way. I was also very impressed by the noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, as I always am, for her invocation to the Government to become more scary in their campaign to frighten our younger generation about the dangers...

My Lords, perhaps I may clarify one point. I do not agree with everything in the report of the noble Lord, Lord Birt. His comments that heroin consumption should be made a criminal offence is one with which I do not agree.

My Lords, perhaps I may clarify one point. I do not agree with everything in the report of the noble Lord, Lord Birt. His comments that heroin consumption should be made a criminal offence is one with which I do not agree.

My Lords, we should all be grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, for introducing a subject which, as he said, we have not discussed for some years. I have no professional qualifications for speaking on this subject, but I used to be chairman of a charity that intervened when drug addicts were...

My Lords, we should all be grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, for introducing a subject which, as he said, we have not discussed for some years. I have no professional qualifications for speaking on this subject, but I used to be chairman of a charity that intervened when drug addicts were...

My Lords, I cannot help commenting on the last point of the noble Lord, Lord Desai. I think that it was President Nixon who resolved to buy the Afghan poppy crop in the mid 1970s. Professor Milton Friedman questioned it as a policy and President Nixon did not buy the crop. At that time,...

My Lords, I cannot help commenting on the last point of the noble Lord, Lord Desai. I think that it was President Nixon who resolved to buy the Afghan poppy crop in the mid 1970s. Professor Milton Friedman questioned it as a policy and President Nixon did not buy the crop. At that time,...

My Lords, I want to add my thanks to the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, for raising the debate, not least because I agree with every word he said, and every word the noble Lord, Lord Desai, said, and with that tour de force by the noble Lord, Lord Mancroft. I am a psychiatrist, and your Lordships...

My Lords, I want to add my thanks to the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, for raising the debate, not least because I agree with every word he said, and every word the noble Lord, Lord Desai, said, and with that tour de force by the noble Lord, Lord Mancroft. I am a psychiatrist, and your Lordships...

My Lords, I apologise for missing the speech of the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, but thank him for introducing this debate. I am afraid that I had not reckoned on the previous debate finishing slightly early. I was in the City. Hurry as I might, I did not quite make it in time. I have known quite a...

My Lords, I apologise for missing the speech of the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, but thank him for introducing this debate. I am afraid that I had not reckoned on the previous debate finishing slightly early. I was in the City. Hurry as I might, I did not quite make it in time. I have known quite a...

My Lords, are those noble Lords claiming that they have never been at a party where a joint has been passed round? Either they have lived in a very sheltered world—an ivory tower—or they really do not know what has been going on around them, in which case I am very...

My Lords, are those noble Lords claiming that they have never been at a party where a joint has been passed round? Either they have lived in a very sheltered world—an ivory tower—or they really do not know what has been going on around them, in which case I am very...

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for giving your Lordships the opportunity to discuss the serious problem of drug abuse. It is some time since this menace to society has been discussed in your noble Lordships’ House. I should explain that the noble Lord, Lord Young of Norwood Green, has just arrived;...

My Lords, I thank my noble friend for giving your Lordships the opportunity to discuss the serious problem of drug abuse. It is some time since this menace to society has been discussed in your noble Lordships’ House. I should explain that the noble Lord, Lord Young of Norwood Green, has just arrived;...

My Lords, first, I make my profuse apologies for not being here to hear the opening statement of the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold. I was stuck in a local traffic jam which was impossible to get out of. I crave noble Lords’ indulgence, and I shall limit my remarks accordingly. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold,...

My Lords, first, I make my profuse apologies for not being here to hear the opening statement of the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold. I was stuck in a local traffic jam which was impossible to get out of. I crave noble Lords’ indulgence, and I shall limit my remarks accordingly. I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold,...

My Lords, this has been an excellent and, perhaps I may say, courageous debate. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, for introducing it at a time when it has become clear that government drugs policy is not working and is wasting both taxpayers’ money and the lives of many of our citizens...

My Lords, this has been an excellent and, perhaps I may say, courageous debate. I thank the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, for introducing it at a time when it has become clear that government drugs policy is not working and is wasting both taxpayers’ money and the lives of many of our citizens...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, has given us the opportunity to debate this subject and we are grateful to him for highlighting the terrible problem that is blighting our society. In my contribution I have not turned my mind to the legalisation of drugs, but concentrated on the situation in...

My Lords, the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, has given us the opportunity to debate this subject and we are grateful to him for highlighting the terrible problem that is blighting our society. In my contribution I have not turned my mind to the legalisation of drugs, but concentrated on the situation in...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, on tabling this topic for discussion. It has been a very interesting and thought-provoking debate. All the contributions have had great merit and have added something distinctive to the quality and calibre of the discussion that the subject of drug classification always brings...

My Lords, I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Cobbold, on tabling this topic for discussion. It has been a very interesting and thought-provoking debate. All the contributions have had great merit and have added something distinctive to the quality and calibre of the discussion that the subject of drug classification always brings...

rose to call attention to the drug classification system; and to move for Papers. The noble Lord said: My Lords, the subject of our debate is clearly not a great crowd puller on a Thursday afternoon. It is nevertheless a subject of great importance, but I do not wish to restrict the...

rose to call attention to the drug classification system; and to move for Papers. The noble Lord said: My Lords, the subject of our debate is clearly not a great crowd puller on a Thursday afternoon. It is nevertheless a subject of great importance, but I do not wish to restrict the...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the process by which power was transferred from the police to local authorities following the decriminalisation of parking offences; what steps he took to ensure that this was a smooth transition of authority; and...

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the process by which power was transferred from the police to local authorities following the decriminalisation of parking offences; what steps he took to ensure that this was a smooth transition of authority; and...

I will be at the fleet review on Tuesday, too, so if the Leader of the House could give me a lift back I would be extremely grateful. I wonder whether he saw the BBC "Panorama" programme on Sunday night about cannabis and psychotic disorders, particularly affecting young people who...

I will be at the fleet review on Tuesday, too, so if the Leader of the House could give me a lift back I would be extremely grateful. I wonder whether he saw the BBC "Panorama" programme on Sunday night about cannabis and psychotic disorders, particularly affecting young people who...