SCOTTISH LABOUR'S drugs policy has been slammed as "simplistic" and "wrong" by a party candidate who is expected to become an MSP in May.

Norman Murray, who will contest Edinburgh East and Musselburgh for Labour in the Holyrood elections, has also described his colleagues' plan to stop drug users having children as "complete and utter nonsense".

He has called for the decriminalisation of cannabis and believes the police have made "strong arguments" for licensing cocaine and heroin.

The remarks deepen the row brewing inside Scottish Labour on drugs policy.

In recent years, Scottish ministers had apparently settled for a series of harm reduction measures geared towards helping addicts take drugs in a safer environment. However, the past year has seen senior Labour figures call for the abandoning of that approach, instead backing "contracts" for drug users, which could include abstinence and a commitment not to have any more children. Last week the justice minister, Cathy Jamieson, announced the first addict contracts.

But Murray, who is likely to succeed the retiring MSP Susan Deacon, has criticised Scottish Labour's change of strategy.

"I just don't feel my own party's views on the drugs issues are necessarily the right ones," he said. "I think they might send out the wrong message to drug users, particularly people who are trying to come off heroin or crack cocaine. It's too simplistic a view to suggest people should go into cold turkey."

He also hit out at his party's plan to stop addicts from having children: "It is complete and utter nonsense. I just found that distasteful and it is part of the wrong message we are sending people."

Murray, who is currently the leader of East Lothian Council, called for a more liberal approach to drugs, such as rethinking the laws on cannabis.

"Decriminalisation of cannabis is something I believe we should be arguing for. My own party isn't arguing that, but it's a view I strongly hold. Such a policy would take cannabis out of the black market."

He added: "Criminalisation is not working, and the police will tell you that. Cannabis does not lead to class A drugs, but it does allow the dealers to experiment with young people."

More controversially, Murray said he was interested to hear professionals calling for a similar approach to other drugs: "There is a strong argument coming from the police and medical people that says we should maybe be looking at licensing heroin and cocaine, creating a more controlled environment."

Murray's views confirm there is a split between liberal-minded Labour activists who believe harm reduction has worked and sceptics who insist the tolerance-based approach is a failure.

Deacon, a former health minister, recently revealed the differing views within Scottish Labour by hitting out at her party's "knee-jerk responses and blanket solutions" to drugs policy.

She argued: "The fact is, it's time to get real. The demonisation of drugs and drugs users may make for rabble-rousing speeches and sensationalist headlines, but it does little to promote understanding of what is really going on in our society."

The SNP deputy justice spokesman, Stewart Stevenson, said this weekend: "It is a dangerous line councillor Murray is treading here. It shows the Labour party is deeply split and deeply divided. They simply don't have a cohesive policy."

And a Labour spokesman said: "I simply cannot agree with Norman's reported comments.

"I am sure that anyone who has looked at the detail of what Labour is doing in the fight against drugs will see clearly that we have the right policy to tackle the cause and effects of drugs in Scotland."