YOUNG people could be lured into experimenting with deadly illegal drugs because the government is sending out "mixed messages", claims a Hampshire MP.

Desmond Swayne, pictured, said the decision to downgrade cannabis from Class B to C and reduce penalties for possessing the drug could lead youngsters to believe other narcotics, such as heroin, were safe.

Mr Swayne, Tory MP for New Forest West, said: "The price of drugs has fallen dramatically. That disincentive seems to have been removed.

"Meanwhile, the reclassification of cannabis, the entry drug of choice, has left consumers - if we can call them that - with a mixed message.

"That is: they will not be prosecuted for holding supplies for their own consumption, but that the supply remains entirely in criminal hands. Is that not the worst of all possible worlds?"

Home Secretary Charles Clarke replied: "I do not think there is a mixed message. On the contrary, the message is very clear. People should not consume drugs."

Mr Swayne raised the issue during the second reading of the Drugs Bill in the House of Commons. The Bill would allow police to X-ray suspected dealers who swallow drugs to hide them, and introduce tougher penalties for those caught peddling drugs near a school or using children as couriers.