No smoke without fire

It was always going to give newspaper editors the chance to dream up a few good headlines.The news that dominated the early part of yesterday that Home Sec Jacqui Smith admitteed to smoking cannabis as a student.



CABINET SPLIFF- headlines the Mirror

Confessions from High Office-says the Sun








The Mail reporting that

"It was the Cabinet revelations that stunned Westminster after Mr Darling - who has a reputation for being one of the least exciting members of the Government - admitted he had tried cannabis "occasionally" at university.
Transport Secretary Ruth Kelly, a devout Catholic and member of the hardline religious group Opus Dei, also surprised her colleagues saying "yes" to trying cannabis in her youth. "

The Telegraph's leader has a more serious note

A puff on a spliff (à la Jacqui Smith) used to be a harmless student ritual; now we know that "skunk" can induce psychosis - and also lead many middle-class teenagers to try the sort of hard drugs that used to be confined to sink estates or rock stars' hotel rooms.

The Mirror, not suprisingly, uses the revelations to force David Cameron to come clean

"We know Mr Cameron used cannabis when at Eton, but the slippery Conservative refuses to discuss when and what drugs he used then or after school.
We applaud the honesty of Home Secretary Jacqui Smith in confessing she smoked cannabis as a student."

Perhaps though the Sun sums it up

"They were wrong. They were stupid. They were typical.
Now they’re grown-ups.
Years ago, plenty of people in all parties thought cannabis was harmless fun.
Years ago a lot of people thought cigarettes were harmless fun.
Now everyone knows better"