TIME FOR AN INTELLIGENT DEBATE ON DRUGS BAN

JOHN HUMPHRYS (Comment, last week) joins the swelling chorus crying
that the drugs tsar has no clothes. The tsar seeks to postpone any
intelligent comment on drugs for 10 years. Then we will have proof
that the government's strategy of prohibition has failed again. Also
in 10 years the tsar will have retired, Tony Blair will be Lord
Sedgefield and at least 1,000 avoidable deaths from heroin will have
occurred.

This week there is new evidence that the United Kingdom has the worst
drugs problems in Europe. We continue to imitate the drug solutions of
the United States, which has the worst drug problems in the world.

It's time to blame timid politicians who refuse to learn the lesson
that prohibition kills. The irresponsible deadly criminal trade in
drugs can be collapsed only by replacing it with a regulated licensed
market that can be effectively policed and controlled.

Humphrys need not despair, parliament is not entirely silent. On the
day of the Queen's speech 13 backbenchers in early day motion number
12 said: ''That this House regrets that the present government will
suffer the fate of all other governments of the past 30 years by
ending their term of office with illegal drug problems at a higher
level than when they were elected; and calls for a fresh judgment of
the futility of drugs prohibition, and consideration of the successes
of policies of regulated decriminalisation of soft drugs and the
treatment of addicts as patients not criminals.''

MPs who continue to deny an intelligent debate must share the guilt
for Britain's increasing drug tragedies.

Paul Flynn MP
Vice-chair, Parliamentary Drugs Misuse Group

VALUES: Thank you, John Humphrys, for having the courage to call for a
sensible debate on the subject of drugs. We see only too often that
our politicians, while ready to engage in sleaze, do not allow the
British people to determine their own moral and ethical values.

Of course it is wrong to make criminals out of people who wish to
indulge in cannabis. I see the American drug tsar, General McCaffrey,
was in Britain recently. Does this mean we are going to use our army,
or theirs, to interdict drug users in this country? Or are we going to
send our forces all over the world, to bop peasants who are responding
to the high prices being offered for their drug crops?

If the politicians of both our parties wish to avoid their
responsibilities, perhaps a democratic third way to go would be by
having a referendum, after a debate.

Cy Chadley

DAMAGE: I applaud the comment by John Humphrys. Inane anti-drug
policies damage society, criminalising many from too early an age.
Educate and let the individual choose.

Joe Addict will destroy himself, be it with drugs, alcohol or whatever
- - legal or not.

Mike Tyrer
London SE5