Mo Mowlam appears to have pulled off an improbable feat for a politician who has admitted having tried cannabis.

As far as the papers are concerned, the Cabinet Office Minister - who is in charge of the government's anti-drugs policy - has emerged from Sunday's television confession with her job intact and reputation enhanced.

The Sun says her action has elevated the debate about legalising cannabis to a whole new level.

The paper, though, is less impressed with her Cabinet colleagues, none of whom would say whether - in its words - "they had puffed a joint".

The Independent welcomes Ms Mowlam's "courage and honesty" in giving a straight answer to a simple question.

The Guardian suggests she has done everyone a favour.

According to the paper, Ms Mowlam has asked us whether we want our political leaders to be people who did not live life to the full in their blooming years - and perhaps inhaled. Its answer is a resounding: "No, we do not."

Dashed hopes

The government runs into yet more flak about its management of the NHS in the Daily Telegraph.

The paper publishes an open letter to Prime Minister Tony Blair from Tipu Aziz, a neuro-surgeon based at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford.

In it, he says Labour has dashed all his hopes for the health service under its stewardship.

In particular, Mr Aziz is concerned about some changes in funding introduced by the government which - as he sees it - starve specialist centres like his of resources.

He says this encourages local hospitals to attempt difficult and unusual operations - thereby running the risk of a repeat of the Bristol heart surgery scandal.

Helping parents

The main story in The Express suggests grandmothers may be paid to look after their grandchildren.

The proposal is apparently being considered by the Childcare Commission, which is looking at ways of helping parents strike a balance between work and home.

The Express says paying grandmothers may sound bizarre, but many parents would feel happier to place their children in the care of a relative rather than a childminder.

The Guardian reports that one of the world's leading childbirth experts is about to question the benefits of prospective fathers being present during labour.

The paper says Dr Michel Odent believes men should stick to pacing the corridor.

He thinks that, in their anxiety to spare their partner pain, they distract women from what he terms "the primitive business" of giving birth.

Search for a star

After a hard-fought competition involving some of Hollywood's finest directors, The Times says Steven Spielberg has agreed to make the film of the cult children's book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

What hasn't been decided is the format of the film, but the paper says the search is now on for a British schoolboy to play the young wizard.

However, there are also rumours that Spielberg favours a computer-animated version.

Another intriguing casting tale is featured on the front page of the Daily Telegraph.

Jimmy - a rare albino crow from Pembrokeshire rescued after being abandoned by its mother - makes his television debut in the BBC Two drama Gormenghast on Monday night.

His handler tells the paper Jimmy behaved impeccably during his three months on set, apart from one quirk - the only thing he wouldn't do was sit in a tree.