MO MOWLAM HONEST ABOUT DRUGS

Sir, - So Mo Mowlam has admitted that she smoked cannabis in the past (your
report, 17 January). That makes four MPs who have admitted having tried
cannabis. What is perhaps more surprising is the number of MPs who went to
college, including the Home Secretary, Jack Straw, who have denied it.

Mo Mowlam should be congratulated for her honesty at least, but her
experience was many moons ago and is hardly likely to help her to relate to
modern-day cannabis smokers or hard drug addicts.

The government's responsibility ought to be to protect drug addicts and
cannabis smokers from the dealers who sell dubious quality products without
any safety advice, the cause of so many drug problems. The sooner ministers
recognise drugs should be an issue of health and not law, the sooner the
drugs problems will be solved.

Let's get away from this "tackling drugs together" attitude and start
tacking the individual substances according to their individual dangers.

Alun Buffry
Campaign to Legalise Cannabis
Peacock Street
Norwich