AN EAST Lancashire MP is sponsoring two new Bills aimed at decriminalising cannabis -- despite Home Secretary Jack Straw's strong opposition.
Welsh Labour MP Paul Flynn is introducing legislation to end the prosecution of those possessing the drug for personal use and legalising its prescription for pain relief for sufferers of diseases such as multiple sclerosis and arthritis.
Pendle MP Gordon Prentice is one of the sponsors of the Bills. He he said he hoped his sponsorship would ensure that it kept the issue in the public eye.
The move follows a report by the independent Police Foundation which recommended the down-grading of cannabis, ecstasy and LSD within the legal arena and an end to the imprisonment of cannabis users.
Mr Prentice said: "I am determined that the Police Foundation report, which was the result of a two-and-a-half year study involving two chief constables, is not kicked into the long grass.
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