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