All children must have drug lessons, says Brown

Gordon Brown has called for all primary school children to be taught about the dangers of hard drugs, including crack cocaine and heroin.

The incoming Prime Minister also rejected calls for the reclassification of cannabis.

Instead he said the best way to tackle the drugs menace was better "rehabilitation and education".

That means giving lessons on drugs in primary schools as well as in secondary schools, he said.

His proposal could mean children aged under 11 will be taught about drugs such as crack cocaine and ecstasy.

Mr Brown also announced plans to double the minimum number of hours of sport in schools from two hours a week to four hours.

He was speaking in London at the TUCorganised hustings for Labour's deputy leadership contest.

"We are going to have to start with primary schools as well as secondary schools if we are going to avoid not just crack cocaine and heroin but other new drugs that are flowing into this country at the moment," he said.

The Chancellor said he was not prepared to look again at the classification of cannabis despite concerns about the damaging effects of new, stronger strains of the drug.