THE BIG ISSUE: COCAINE IT'S WRONG TO BLAME AMY WINEHOUSE

For the UN drugs tsar Antonio Maria Costa ('Every line of cocaine
means a little part of Africa dies', Comment, last week) to blame Amy
Winehouse and the press for the tragedy that has befallen the poor
people of Africa is gravely misguided. It is hard to see it as
anything but one more in a long line of attempts to create a
smokescreen around the catastrophic failure of our prohibitionist drugs laws.

Drug-taking and its collateral damage have increased remorselessly,
but few politicians seem willing to entertain the idea that the legal
framework is failing or that it may just be a major contributor to
the problems. The only people actually benefiting from drugs
prohibition are the major drug barons.

A new, long-term approach based on harm reduction is required. No
more 'war on drugs'. Instead, the law-makers need to take over
responsibility for illegal drugs just as they did for alcohol and
tobacco. The drug barons would soon be out of business; the exchequer
would gain.

Alastair Banton

London W4