In December 2021 the Speaker of the House of Commons called in the police to investigate drug use in the House of Commons – cannabis and cocaine.
One could imagine different scenes:
It could be politicians taking drugs to get through the day, taking them openly because they know they are among friends
It could be politicians surreptitiously smoking near open windows, even in the depths of winter, blowing away the telltale smells. Or snorting in the toilets.
It could be politicians gathered in groups to delve deeply into how to help the populace, taking drugs in a shamanistic way to increase their ability to be responsive to novel ideas
It could be politicians in drunken, drug-fueled orgies like the last days of the Third Reich, when everyone knew they were going to hell.
And what came of it? Nothing, as far I can tell.
Then in May this year, the ex-Liberal Democrat MP Mark Oaten told Andrew Marr on TV that drugs so common that MPs have been known to snort cocaine from their desks.
But now in December 2022, swab tests showed cocaine at a residence of former Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Ah well, it’s only drugs. I mean, what is the penalty in British law for possessing those?
Possession of cocaine is a criminal offence which can lead to imprisonment for up to seven years, or an unlimited fine.