Such a Commission would undoubtedly be stuffed with the apostles of dope, as every single body has been that has considered the subject since Baroness Wootton’s original committee in 1968-69. aven’t heard of it? No surprise there. Nor have most of the people who write, broadcast and speak about drugs. But it was the key moment at which the alleged ‘war on drugs’ in this country was abandoned. Lady Wootton, a mighty Left-wing battleaxe, defeated that wily old beast Jim Callaghan in a terrific Whitehall struggle.
Heavily influenced by a brilliant lobbying campaign, featuring all four Beatles, Lady Wootton’s cabal urged two crucial things. One, that cannabis should be given a special status, as less serious than other drugs. And two, that the offence of possessing drugs should be seen as less serious than selling them. She also arranged to ensure that the law was constantly under review, so that it was steadily weakened, in a salami-slicing process that few would notice. Ever since then, governments have been pretending to be tough while actually being weak and defeatist.
A Bill was quickly put through Parliament to do these things. It was officially supported by both Labour and Tory parties and heavily backed by a strong soft-on-drugs lobby among Home Office civil servants (led by a man called Henry ‘Bing’ Spear). Soon after it was passed, Lord Hailsham, then Tory Lord Chancellor, told the magistrates of England and Wales to stop sending anyone to prison for possessing cannabis. They obeyed.
