GOVERNMENTS REJECT OWN CANNABIS ADVICE

DR IVAN HARPER (16.4.01) claims that pro-cannabis propaganda instigated
by university intellectuals is responsible for the failure of cannabis
prohibition.

In reality, the problem seems to be the continued refusal of governments
to heed their own advisers who say that cannabis prohibition creates
more, and worse, problems than cannabis use.

The harder authorities try to enforce their "zero tolerance" of cannabis
use, the worse the problem becomes.

Drug fighting agencies then ask for more funds and greater powers for
their "war on drugs" which in turn worsens the problem and so on.

This leads to our present situation where a single student caught with
cannabis in a police search at a Queenstown School (ODT, 31.3.01) is
heralded as a success (a previous raid at the school netted no cannabis)
whereas the police are too fearful to prevent the mayhem in our city
streets created by alcohol abuse (ODT, 3.4.01).

J. Kearney, Dalmore

[Abridged. - Ed.]