DRUG LAWS A LESS THAN CIVIL ATTACK ON LIBERTIES

Bob Carr likes to compare himself to the great President of the United
States Abraham Lincoln. Yet he is about to pass laws which overturn the
principle of our common law which has been in existence for almost 1,000
years - that principle is that the state must prove a citizen has committed
a crime. It is not for the citizen to prove his/her mere presence in a
place was lawful.

This is an extremely disturbing precedent and a not-so-thin end of the
wedge to totalitarianism. The police will become, effectively, judge, jury
and executioner.

Likewise, the use of sniffer dogs to detect people on the street, in shops,
pubs and cafes with small quantities of cannabis on them is not only a
further step on the road to a police state but a foolish waste of police
resources.

We must all fight against these absurd knee-jerk reactions to the drug
problem. There will always be heinous crimes and clever criminals who evade
police. Eroding the civil liberties of citizens will not change that. Mr
Carr, as a long-time Labor voter, I urge you to reconsider these laws.

Dr. Riju Ramrakha, Balmain, March 28.