CEASE HYPOCRITICAL POSTURING ON DRUGS

Your editorial (Daily Telegraph, June 13) claims that the Australian Drug
Summit 2000 should "address the issues" but did not go on to expand on that
line. Perhaps that is because such an expansion would bring up issues that
your paper consistently chooses to ignore.

For example, the most recent report from the Alcohol And Other Drugs
Council Of Australia (ADCA) states: "Illegal drugs are also being used by
an increasing proportion of Australians. Cannabis, for example, has been
used by more than 44 per cent of the Australian population over their
lifetime, and recently used by 21 per cent. About half the population has
used currently illicit drugs, including cannabis, at some stage during
their lifetime."

The ADCA report clearly states that 50 per cent of the Australian
population are either practising criminals or have engaged in criminal
activity in the past.

There is something wrong with the criminal laws if 50 per cent of the
population is unwilling to comply with them.

The Daily Telegraph should cease its hypocritical posturing on the issue of
illicit drug use and accept the fact that the recreational drug of choice
for at least 50 per cent of Australians is not alcohol, nicotine or caffeine.

ADCA statistics also show that alcohol and tobacco cause significantly more
harm than all illicit drags combined. In the light of these ADCA findings,
it is clear that Australia needs a radical new approach to the issue of
drug use and misuse.

Dr Michael Dawson, University of Technology, Sydney