Government MP Delaey Robinson last night called for the decriminalisation of soft drugs after claiming pot smoking was widespread throughout Bermuda.

He said even the highest echelons of society used recreational drugs and that the economy would be harmed if a crackdown was successful.

The St. George's MP said: "It's time to distinguish between soft drugs and hard drugs.'' "Decriminalisation of drugs is probably the way to go for small quantities.

Obviously this wouldn't apply to suppliers.'' He said those found with small quantities should be let off -- but the precise weight should be left to the experts.

And Mr. Robinson said those caught with marijuana for their own personal use should be not be put on the stop list which stops Bermudians from travelling to America.

He said arrests for small quantities of soft drugs could destroy young lives.

The Progressive Labour Party Backbencher said: "The last thing we want to do is introduce them to the courts, Police and penal system and at the same time jeopardise their chances of reaching their potential because they can't go to school.

"I am hoping people who are like minded will be encouraged to have their say.

"At the moment the politicos are swallowed up by the drug war. It takes some effort to get enough information to change their minds. But if they knew how dangerous this was for Bermuda.'' He claimed a survey had said that 70 percent of Bermuda College students had experimented with marijuana by the time they started going there.

MP: Police need to take second look at marijuana Kids were likely to experiment with drugs and therefore it was preferable they experimented with soft drugs rather than hard drugs, said Mr. Robinson.

Mr. Robinson attacked posters put out by the National Drug Commission which showed the affect on the body different drugs had including heroin, cocaine and cannabis.

He said: "There is no big body of evidence which says if you take marijuana you are likely to see this that or the other happen to you.'' "The Police should maybe take a second look. If they were successful in rounding up all the recreational users, if you took every man woman and child and put them on the stop list and inconvenienced them you would do untold damage to the economy.

"The users are across the spectrum. They are rich people and poor people, black people and white people, there are people in high places and people in low places.'' Mr. Robinson said he did not condone drug use but said it was time to approach the issue in a more rational way.

In the summer, Mr. Robinson had called for the clinical prescription of heroin to addicts and yesterday he said that the policy of dealing with drug abuse would be better left with medical professionals than the law courts.

Shadow Health Minister Kim Young said: "The previous Government and this Government have been against the decriminalisation of soft drugs.

"And the National Drug Commission have spent millions of dollars on the education and treatment of people who have smoked marijuana and they have spent thousands on huge ads showing the harmful affects of marijuana.

"For Mr. Robinson, who is a Government MP, to bring this up is absolutely incredible to me.

"Most people believe marijuana is a transitional drug on the way to more destructive drugs.

"By coming out and saying this it will leave the impression that drugs are harmless, but this is not so. By taking this (stance) on soft drugs you are sending a confusing message to young people.'' National Drug Association Chairman Malcolm Butterfield said: "We could not support a policy of decriminalisation of soft drugs because, we at the NDC come from a total-wellness perspective.

"Drugs affect people in different ways and our concern is the health of the person and drugs have an affect on the way people think and act.''