RE: RAVE DEFENDERS BOGGLE THE MIND

RE RAVE defenders boggle the mind, May 28: Lorrie Goldstein needs to calm
down. Those of us who think that the presence of illegal drugs at raves is
no reason to ban such gatherings are merely applying the lessons imparted to
us by the prohibition of alcohol in the U.S. 80 years ago and by the
prohibition of drugs still with us today: prohibiting a drug only increases
its allure and, besides, banned drugs are always readily available.

Perhaps more fundamentally, most parents know that while exhorting a
5-year-old not to do something may influence his or her behaviour, telling a
teenager not to ingest this or that drug "because I said so" is, more often
than not, a total waste of time. In any event, by what right does the
government punish people for what they choose to ingest into their own
bodies? Thank God the young are courageous enough to reject that ridiculous
law. If things were left to old fogies like Goldstein and me, we would all
have to seek permission from the prime minister to pee.

Alan Randell

Victoria, B.C.

(When he says you can, we'd like to analyze yours, please)