Exclusive by Andy Keeling akeeling@london.newsquest.co.uk
A SENIOR Labour councillor has admitted he was thrown out of the army for smoking cannabis.
Chris Dunn, who represents St James ward in Walthamstow, told the Guardian this week how he was court martialled by the Royal Artillery after being caught.
He said: "I did leave in the end for smoking dope. It was a regrettable incident, but quite frankly I don't think I did anything wrong.
"I wasn't the only one. Everybody was doing it at the time.
"Put it this way, Jimi Hendrix had just died."
Cllr Dunn, of Chestnut Avenue South, Walthamstow, said he served for three years in the Royal Artillery, including a spell in Northern Ireland and Germany, before he was given his marching orders.
He said: "I had a bloody good time hi the army."
Although Mr Dunn would not say cannabis use was entirely without harm, he said too much has been made of smoking the drug.
He said: "Someone would have to give me a good reason not to legalise it.
"Breathing in fumes from cars is likely to do you much more harm.
"I also think the long-term effects of alcohol abuse is likely to harm you too."
And the councillor said more effort should be concentrated on catching drug dealers who peddle hard narcotics on the streets such as heroin and crack cocaine.
He said: "You are criminalising a whole bunch of people out there who, after all, have done little wrong, while the big guys are being forgotten about."
A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said of Mr Dunn's exit from the army in the 1970s: "If he told you everything I don't need to tell you anything."
But Labour leader Cllr Tony Buckley said: "Obviously we do not condone the use of drugs, but this is an incident that happened 20 years ago and is between Chris and the army."
And Liberal Democrat leader Cllr Keith Rayner laughed when he first heard the news and questioned whether Mr Dunn was trying to gain some popularity with trendy voters.
He said: "Does he want to join a long line of esteemed political colleagues such as Mo Mowlam and Sue Rayner in admitting they smoke dope?"
But Tory leader Geoff Walker said: "I have no time for drugs. If he was stupid enough to smoke dope in the army then that's his hard luck. I would certainly not condone him doing that."
Walthamstow Forest Guardian, February 24, 2000.
