US STATISTICS OF NO USE TO US YET

WHILE it is easy to see how advocates of drug-law reform in the United
States might be concerned with US statistics, it is unlikely that they
would pay any attention to the imminent meeting of Australian Premiers
on Drug Policy, as suggested by Collis Parrett ("This is how to curb
drug-related crime", Letters, 2 April).

It seems to me that Collis Parrett is a little premature in crowing
over US statistics, since the article he refers to by Will Dunham
("Dramatic drop in US rates of crime", CT, 27 March) attributes the
fall in US crime rates to a number of things, including two things
which have no direct relevance to drug-law reform: a fall in
unemployment and a re-organisation of the "crack'' market.

And until the relative contribution of every factor producing a fall
in the crime rate is accurately known, it is futile to deduce what
action should be taken as a result.

Collis Parrett's objection to drug trials is difficult to understand;
they might prove him to be right and then we would all agree with him
that even more should be done to enforce a policy of total
prohibition.

PAUL DRURY
Giralang