'Take a chill pill!': Will Self and The Mail's Peter Hitchens have Question Time audience in stitches during hilarious debate on drug legalisation

• Former heroin addict urges panellists to relax about drugs decriminalisation
  
• Journalist Will Self is then accused by Peter Hitchens of 'propaganda'
• But audience loves every minute as MP and peer get 'tongue lashing'

By HUGO GYE

Published: 05:07 EDT, 14 December 2012 | Updated: 09:53 EDT, 14 December 2012

Will Self and Peter Hitchens clashed during an electric episode of Question Time last night as they expressed their strong views on the decriminalisation of drugs.

The controversial author and former heroin addict told the Mail on Sunday journalist to 'take a chill pill' during their furious arguments on the BBC One programme.

Mr Self, who once snorted heroin on the then-prime minister John Major's plane, argued that drug use should be legalised in order to focus on treating addicts. But Mr Hitchens responded that his claims were based on 'propaganda'.

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Fight!: A furious row erupted on Question Time last night. From left to right writer Will Self, Lord Bilimoria, co-founder of Cobra Beer, Tory Justine Greening, international development secretary and the Mail on Sunday's Peter Hitchens

The panellists, who were joined in Bristol by minister Justine Greening, Labour's Stella Creasy and beer magnate Lord Bilimoria, were speaking in the wake of calls to set up a royal commission into the possible decriminalisation of drugs.

The suggestion has opened another crack in the Coalition after David Cameron was quick to dismiss the idea but Nick Clegg urged him to show 'courage' and 'tell the truth' about the need for reform.

Mr Hitchens is a staunch conservative who has repeatedly spoken out about the need to crack down on drug use and recently published a book on the topic.

Mr Self, by contrast, has opened up about his own struggle with drug addiction, and is a strong supporter of reform to current legislation on drugs.

He admitted snorting a line of heroin along the side of the wash basin as he flew with John Major's press team on an election campaign flight from London to the East Midlands in April 1997.

Despite initially denying the claim, the writer later admitted going to the toilet during the flight to snort, saying: 'So I was smacked out on the Prime Minister's jet - big deal.'

Ms Greening, the International Development Secretary, began the discussion by arguing that the current laws were working well as she claimed that the number of drug addicts was at a record low.

Passion: Mr Hitchens and Mr Self have both been outspoken on the topic of drug legislation

Fan: Student Tom Williams was one of many viewers who welcomed the aggressive clash

Not keen: MP Chris Bryant was less impressed with the high-octane argument on Question Time

Mr Self broke in to say, 'Compared to what, 1630?', prompting appreciative laughter from his rival Mr Hitchens.

He then launched a fierce attack on the Conservative MP's comments, saying: 'I don't think you know anything about it, Justine - I get that strong feeling that you actually know nothing about it.'

The author went on to claim that the majority of drug users were healthy and otherwise law-abiding and that government intervention should be targeted to addicts - but Mr Hitchens unsurprisingly took issue with his argument.

'You've had a very long go, I think it's time somebody else said something intelligent,' the columnist said.

'We have decriminalised drugs in this country - if the police can even be bothered with someone caught in possession of cannabis, the most likely treatment is something called a "cannabis warning", which was invented by the police without even asking Parliament, which means you are let off.'

When asked why the Home Affairs Select Committee had called for an investigation into decriminalisation if drugs were effectively legal anyway, Mr Hitchens pointed to the effect of international legalisation efforts.

'They want a royal commission because there is a very very powerful and well-financed international campaign to legalise drugs so that various wicked people can make very large sums of money out of selling them to the population,' he said.

Head-to-head: Other panellists were left as bystanders to the fiery clashes between the outspoken pair

Panel: The pair were joined by (left to right) Lord Bilimoria, Justine Greening, David Dimbleby and Stella Creasy

But Mr Self ridiculed Mr Hitchens' call for stronger enforcement of the law, asking if he knew how many people were currently in possession of illegal narcotics.

'I've no idea, how would I know?', Mr Hitchens replied.

He agreed that it would be impossible to jail all drug users, but pointed out: 'The point of having a proper criminal law is not to put people in prison, but to deter people from committing stupid crimes.'

Showing his irritation at his rival's arguments, the journalist muttered: 'It's so simple, anyone could answer that - almost.'

Repeating his claim that drugs have been effectively decriminalised for the past four decades, Mr Hitchens said: 'Until this point sinks in, we can't have an intelligent discussion... people need to deal with some facts on this, instead of propaganda.'

Chairman David Dimbleby replied, 'We can't have a one-man discussion,' and asked Ms Creasy to respond to the suggestion that the UK should 'go down the Portuguese route' by focussing on treatment.

Portugal's example was explicitly singled out by the select committee, who pointed to the fact that users of heroin and cocaine are offered rehabilitation rather than punished as a possible model for British drugs law.

After another question from the audience on the topic, Mr Hitchens was so keen to display his passion that Mr Self joked: 'Take a chill pill, Peter.'

The animosity between the two men did not go unnoticed by their fellow panellists.

Ms Creasy, the shadow minister for crime prevention, called for a national discussion on drugs, 'with perhaps even Mr Self and Mr Hitchens taking part in that debate at the same time as each other'.

'Pity the poor chairman,' Mr Dimbleby quipped.

But Mr Hitchens was not the only panellist to face a tongue-lashing from the famously acerbic Mr Self.

When Lord Bilimoria, who founded the company which makes Cobra Beer, said he worried about the possibility of his children becoming addicted to drugs, the author said: 'My biggest fear is that my children become alcoholics, but you got a peerage for flogging beer.'

Twitter users joked about the clash between the journalist and the novelist - student Tom Williams wrote: 'Why don't we just have a #bbcqt edition of Gladiators with Hitchens and Self beating each other off podiums with big cushions on sticks?'

However, not all viewers were so delighted by the fiery exchanges, as Labour MP Chris Bryant tweeted: 'Oh god. Drugs with Hitchens and Self. Might have to go to bed.'

Watch the highlight of the bitter fight here or see the full exchange on BBC iPlayer