UK News 10-10-2000 Conservative Cannabis Controversy Continues who: Tory Agriculture spokesman Tim Yeo what: Admits he smoked cannabis and enjoyed it when: Yesterday snippet: "Cabinet Ministers were branded hypocrites last night for refusing to reveal if they have smoked dope," claims The Mirror today. The newspaper has opened a telephone "potline" and urges the public to "grass up" the government by calling 020 7293 3831 " if you have seen any member of the Government puff on a joint". The Mirror`s story comes on the heels of another drug confession from the Tory shadow cabinet - the eighth since the weekend - this time from Agriculture spokesman Tim Yeo, who admitted to The Times yesterday that he had smoked cannabis "on occasion" and that he had "enjoyed it". "I think it can be a much pleasanter experience than having too much to drink," he said, stressing that it had happened infrequently a long way in the past on social occasions. "I don`t share the view that it was disagreeable. I found it agreeable". "His comments followed similar confessions from Francis Maude, Archie Norman and five other shadow ministers," says The Guardian. Michael Fabricant, a Tory MP sitting on the Home Affairs select committee, has also admitted smoking pot. As a result, William Hague has "made a highly embarrassing U-turn," says The Express, which claims he has dumped Ann Widdecombe`s "zero tolerance" policy on cannabis possession, announced at the Conservative Party`s annual conference in Bournemouth last week. "He claimed he was not altogether abandoning Miss Widdecombe`s ideas," writes Patrick O`Flynn, "but was instead putting them up `for further debate and consultation` - political code for scrapping them". [... more]

What The Papers Say is delivered to thousands of readers every morning by web, WAP and email. Sign up today!