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Home secretary: I smoked cannabis Home secretary: I smoked cannabis
(10 minutes later)
Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has said she smoked cannabis while she was at Oxford University in the 1980s. Home Secretary Jacqui Smith has admitted she smoked cannabis while she was at Oxford University in the 1980s.
Ms Smith, 44, became home secretary in Gordon Brown's Cabinet last month. Her disclosure came the day after Prime Minister Gordon Brown said she would head a review of UK drugs strategy - including reviewing the cannabis laws.
Her disclosure came the day after Mr Brown said she would head a review of UK drugs strategy - including whether to toughen the cannabis laws. "I did break the law... I was wrong... drugs are wrong," Ms Smith, 44, said.
"I did break the law... I was wrong... drugs are wrong... I want to focus on what I can do in the future, not what I did 25 years ago," Ms Smith said. She had smoked it "just a few times", had "not particularly" enjoyed it and had not taken any other illegal drugs, she told the BBC.
A number of senior politicians have admitted smoking cannabis in their youth - including at least one of her predecessors as home secretary, Charles Clarke.A number of senior politicians have admitted smoking cannabis in their youth - including at least one of her predecessors as home secretary, Charles Clarke.
Mental health 'dangers'Mental health 'dangers'
Ms Smith told BBC Radio 5 Live she had smoked cannabis "just a few times" and she had "not particularly" enjoyed it. Asked why today's students should listen when she urged them not to try the drug, she said that over the past 25 years the dangers of cannabis use had become clearer.
She said that over the past 25 years the dangers of drug use had become clearer. These included the mental health dangers of cannabis and the increasing strength of the drug.
These included the mental health dangers of cannabis use and the increasing strength of the drug.
She said she had been wrong to break the law and wanted to focus on stopping other people doing what she had done.She said she had been wrong to break the law and wanted to focus on stopping other people doing what she had done.
She said the government had more people in drug treatment and was tackling drug-related crime.She said the government had more people in drug treatment and was tackling drug-related crime.