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Margaret Curran is Labour member of the Scottish Parliament for Glasgow Baillieston.
She first became politically active in Glasgow University Labour Club in the late 1970s, where she was associated with Johann Lamont and Sarah Boyack. She held several posts in Labour student politics, including secretary of Glasgow University Labour Club, secretary of the Scottish Organisation of Labour Students, chair of that organisation, and vice-chair of the Labour Club, although in 1980 she was forced to resign the last position over her involvement in an attempt to rig the conference of the National Organisation of Labour Students.
She was Mohammad Sarwar's election agent in Glasgow Govan in the UK general election of 1997. In 1999 she was elected to the new Scottish Parliament, since then she has held various posts as a junior minister and member of the Scottish Executive. At one point, acting as executive spokesperson, she delivered an emotive speech against the legalisation of cannabis during a debate on this issue, which surprised some people who knew that she had smoked the substance herself when she was a student. She was re-elected comfortably in 2003.
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