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Boris: I took cocaine and cannabis as a teenager
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor04.04.08
Boris Johnson gave David Cameron a major political headache today after he spoke publicly of taking cocaine and cannabis as a teenager.
The Tory mayoral candidate answered a question about taking cocaine by saying "that was when I was 19", then discussed using cannabis.
It is the fullest discussion of drug use yet by the Henley MP and will open up Mr Cameron to fresh questions about his past.
The Tory leader, who was at Oxford with Mr Johnson, said in 2004 he had had the "normal student experience". He has also failed to deny claims in a biography that he had come close to being expelled for using cannabis at Eton.
Mr Johnson's drug past emerged today in a Marie Claire magazine interview by writer Janet Street-Porter.
When he was asked about his jokey references to cocaine use, he replied: "Well, that was when I was 19. It all goes to show that sometimes it's better not to say anything. I thoroughly disagree with drugs. I don't want my kids having drugs."
The MP was referring to an appearance in 2005 on TV quiz Have I Got News For You in which he said: "I think I was once given cocaine but I sneezed and so it did not go up my nose. In fact, I may have been doing icing sugar."
Asked by Street-Porter whether he had smoked "dope" before university, Mr Johnson replied: "That's true, but the stuff you and I may have smoked is not the same as what the kids are having now. I think skunk and this stuff is very, very dangerous".
Today Mr Johnson tried to bury the comments by saying he had not "used cocaine" adding: "As I have said many times, I was once at university offered a white substance, none of which went up my nose and I have no idea whether it was cocaine or not."
His rival Ken Livingstone said the issue was a private matter for Mr Johnson and added: "I have had a very enjoyable life in London without taking drugs. My advice is to give up the drugs and have a nice glass of Merlot."
The Mayor said Gordon Brown would be wrong to ignore the advice of independent advisers and reclassify cannabis as a class B drug. It was downgraded to class C in 2004.
Virtually the entire Cabinet last year admitted they had smoked cannabis, including Jacqui Smith, Hilary Benn and Baroness Ashton. Only James Purnell refused to comment.
Click here to read the full text of Janet Street-Porter's interview with Boris Johnson
Reader views (17)
Here's a sample of the latest views published.
Good reasoning - Ken is 'immoral'; Johnson is 'one of the people' apparently. One rule for one, another rule for another...Dear, oh dear.
- John Jones, Hammersmith
This is a real case of 'move along ,nothing to see'. This happened when Boris was a teenager and is irrelevant to how he'd perform as Mayor. If you were to poll the London public under the age of 40 you'd probably find that a large number had done some sort of drug(s) when they were teenagers. It certainly wouldn't mean that they'd continued this behaviour beyond their teenage years - if anything, Boris's openness is refreshing compared to other politicians.
- Rich, London
An honest politician "I'll vote for that".
- Frederick, London
Born with a silver coke spoon up his nose and his hand inside someone other than his wife's knickers.
Privilege, don't you wish you had it too London!
Lord Dave and his Etonian elite will no doubt give pensioners free membership to White's (naturally) if elected.
As for the drugs thing, be brave UK. Hand over policy to some other organization than bumbling MPs - as with interest rates to the BoE. A recent survey showed that on a health and economic basis, alcohol and tobacco were far more damaging to individuals and society than cannabis and E.
We can all be weaned off the weed, albeit slowly. Booze is a matter of tolerance as in we can't tolerate the amount the industry is pouring down our under-age kid's throats much longer. It's not nice, healthy or legal yet no-one seems to have twigged (or cared) that life is decidedly unpleasant for all affected as a result.
As for class A drugs, it seems that prisons are failing society badly as they are more easily available in the one place they should never be found. Maybe a cold turkey regime with no visits in return for half the sentence or less may help, but having weaned them off, they deserve more than simply being returned to the same drug riven environment to re-uptake and re-offend.
- Common Little Oik., Serfborough
Didn't we all?
- Chris, Bullion France
... but WE can't smoke cannabis because it's this mythical "skunk" (whatever that is) and not nice, friendly imported Lebanese hash.
So if he had experienced the full force of the law and had his career ruined it would have been unfair?
Hypocrite.
Cannabis is cannabis is cannabis.
- Compost Mentis, London, UK
He hasn't admitted anything. One minute he says he took coke, the next that he didn't. I don't care either way, but the fact he can't be direct and honest about it makes me think he will make a completely unreliable mayor.
- Charlie, Soho
"Boris Johnson gave David Cameron a major political headache today". So Paul Waugh, have you not been following the US primaries? If you have, your assumption must be that voters in London (we are not talking about the blue-rinse brigade here) are less informed and mature about this issue than those in the US, where Obama's admitted use of illegal drugs in the past has not appeared to materially hurt his standing with the US electorate at all.
- Lawrence, London
I thought Boris was proposing to fight teenage crime?
- Alan, Islington
The only disappointing aspect to this story is Boris' parroting out the current anti - cannabis nonsense - just at the time it is becoming utterly discredited. The ACMD report has pretty much laid the myth of "cannabis psychosis" in its grave. It is time the Tories recognised that prohibition is a broken policy, and the Dutch coffee shop approach is the only sensible way to genuinely protect vulnerable kids from the dealers.
- Dave Robson, Le Mans, France
Character and honesty from a politician! He's exactly what London needs let's all vote for him in the coming election!
- Duckers, London
So what, he's honest enough to admit it.
- David Jones, London
Boris was not born grown, he is fallible just like everybody else, so these revelations do not determine his future or undermine him as a good leader. Go Boris.
- Zim Dollaz, Wembley
Gasp, shock horror, a politician admitting he participates in the same world that 90% of the rest of us live in.
How could he possibly govern us with that sort of background?
In seriousness, Who hasn't at least tried this stuff?, if not why not?, if not how can you make informed laws about the stuff?
For example, I've tried this type of thing and didn't enjoy the experience.
- Greg, London
Ah, Boris, Boris, Boris, you never know when to shut it do you? At least that trait would mean that you'd have a hard job lying as much as Livingstone does.
- Ken Ater, London
Ok well I have to agree, he is right, the weed available on the street is far stronger than it was 10+ years ago. It's far more expensive too, and pretty much all grown here in the UK.
We cannabis smokers do not get a shop/bar full of choices, there is no labelling with percentage of drug content, we have to take what we can get, and we don't asked for ID. Unlike drinkers who can stop off at any convenience store and pick up anything from shandy to vodka without any questions asked at all as long as they are over 18. We all know that spirits are hardcore intoxicants but most people choose not to drink them; certainly not to excess, if this was applied to cannabis I'm sure many people would stick to lower strength varieties.
Surely its fairly obvious that these are exactly the symptoms we come to expect of prohibition itself. Cannabis IS becoming a bigger problem to society, it's time to decriminalise it and take control.
- Chris Harvey, Paignton, UK
This could explain a lot about bumbling Boris.
- John, London
