Sir, Drugs and the Law is a major contribution to a vital debate. I
submitted written evidence to the Police Foundation inquiry and made
the point to the Government's drugs "czar" Keith Hellawell that he was
unwise to quickly dismiss chunks of the report out of hand.

He would have done better to have listened to reaction to the report
and taken account of views before announcing his decisions.

No one can be sure of the best way forward on drugs; no one has a
monopoly on knowledge or concern. That is the great value of the
inquiry which produced Drugs and the Law. It provided a significant
opportunity for more daylight to be shone on to the subject. We should
all welcome that, because 30 years after the Misuse of Drugs Act the
situation is bleak. The country is awash with drugs selling at low
prices.

Thirty years of letting the police make the running has not got us
very far, because reducing the use of drugs is not police work. It is
a health and education matter. Reducing the supply of drugs by getting
convictions against drug dealers is a job for the police. They should
stick to it and become better at it.

Yours faithfully, Dennis Ramshaw (Member, Essex Police Authority),
County Hall, Chelmsford CM1 1LX. April 1.