'Merry spliffmas' - Edinburgh MSP is definitely NOT smoking a cannabis joint in his Christmas card

Liberal Democrat MSP Alex Cole-Hamilton has laughed-off suggestions that his official Christmas card shows him holding a cannabis joint.

Mr Cole-Hamilton, who represents Edinburgh West, specialises in weeding out failings by the SNP administration at Holyrood.

But he appears to have made a hash of it in his greeting card - which shows what appears to be a joint between his fingers.

The ‘joint’ is in fact a handkerchief in his breast pocket and Mr Cole-Hamilton stubbed-out any suspicion, taking to Twitter to post: “Our local party Christmas card appears to embrace our party’s approach to reforming the Misuse of drugs Act. This was not our intention. #pocketsquareorspliff?”

The local party Christmas card.

Many have been reacting with good humour online.

One, Adam Leyton, wrote: "Ha, that was the first thing I thought when I saw it but didn’t like to say! Thanks for the card by the way. Merry Christmas!"

And Craig Wilson wrote: "Merry Spliffmas"

Nick Cook simply wrote: "Lad."