5 PUB LTE: PROBLEMS OF KEEPING UP DRUGS POLICY

Your leading article (March 30) comes as a breath of fresh air. It is
not simply that the law is practically unenforceable which does this
damage.

Far worse, millions of ordinary, decent citizens see nothing wrong
with the recreational use of drugs, despite the fact that they are
illegal, and, for them, the law has lost its moral relevance. The
danger of the law losing the respect of the public whom it is designed
to protect is obvious and goes far wider that the issue of drugs.

Enough damage has already been done by the vast growth of legislation
and regulation interfering in matters where individuals should be left
to decide for themselves; and more is in the pipeline, for example the
banning of hunting and the increasing denial of our freedom of speech
and thought on issues such as the "gay" movement. I think we are
moving towards a society in which observance of the law is obtained by
fear alone.

RICHARD RAWSTHORN
Cliviger, Lancs

The present system, like all bans, has a well proven record of
complete failure. The Government could usefully heed the adage, "When
what you are doing isn't working - do something else". No one would
advocate the open, over-the-counter sale of drugs, but some form of
controlled, state-managed sale is the only way forward - perhaps
addict registration with sales being monitored by smart card
technology. This would at least expose the problem to full view,
rather than allowing it to continue corrupting society unseen. And it
is far better that the vast sums of money currently going into the
hands of dangerous criminals go to the state instead.

It can be used to repair the damage that the failure to deal with the
problem properly has done. As for the "message" it would send to
society, this would tell us that the Government is at last prepared to
stop preaching and bring practical solutions to bear.

ROGER TAYLOR
Meols, Wirral

The drugs issue is once again becoming clouded by political posturing
and woolly liberal thinking.

Heroin is the problem, not cannabis. Between 50 and 75 per cent of
shoplifting, car crime and burglary is directly related to heroin addiction.

Children as young as 12 are committing hundreds of offences a year to
feed their habits. Locking up dealers has to happen, of course, but
society must recognise that every time one is locked up there will be
four or more waiting to take their place. There is so much money to be
made dealing in heroin that the benefits far outweigh the costs at
present. In health terms, the human costs are enormous.

Young people are injecting brick dust into their arms after being
ripped off by unscrupulous dealers; others mistakenly overdose because
the dealer did not really know the strength of his merchandise.
Addicts risk blown veins, septicaemia and gangrene. There is an answer.

Treat heroin addiction as an illness, and one that is so serious that
it endangers the whole of our society.

Addicts should be encouraged to register with their GPs and be
prescribed pharmaceutical heroin. It costs very little, and is what
they crave, and everyone concerned would know precisely what the
strength is.

C. M. GRIFFITHS
Worcester

Tom Utley's shift to the view that narcotics are not so different from
alcohol is a key one when it comes to the consideration of any reform
of the drug laws. The problem is that there is a general reluctance to
consider the question of what constitutes a drug, or to examine the
nature of addiction. The truth is that alcohol and tobacco are drugs
in the same way as are cannabis and ecstasy. It is only when this fact
is universally accepted that we can rationally consider reform of the
current laws, and governments can enact legislative change without
fear of an electoral backlash.

VALERIE JOHNSON Social Market
Foundation London SW1

William Golding wrote: "If God is dead, if man is the highest, then
good and evil are decided by majority vote." Such a view is amply
illustrated by your leading article.

R. D. POOLEY
Cheam, Surrey