ANTI-DRUGS CAMPAIGN

Sir - I read with dismay Mr Tony Geoghegan's letter (May 25th) in which he
suggests that the new National Anti-drugs Campaign is a bit too harsh on
drug addicts. He opines that the sponsors of this campaign, who include
Crimestoppers, the Garda, the Dublin Chamber of Commerce and the Department
of Justice, Equality and Law Reform, consider abandoning the present
"inyour-face" tactic which portrays the drug user as a common criminal. In
its place, Mr Geoghegan proposes a scheme promoting a more "positive image"
of the drug user.

Mr Geoghegan, I fear, is attempting to persuade the public that the person
who uses illegal substances and commits illegal acts against members of the
public should not be branded a criminal, but merely a victim. To imply that
certain members of our society are anything less than criminals, despite
their illegal activities, is not only hypocritical but is a slap in the
face to all those who have suffered at the hands of these lawbreakers. -
Yours, etc.

EDWARD D. RAFFERTY, Grogan's Road, Wexford.