VITAL DEBATE' ON DRUGS IN SCHOOLS

Sir, Well done, Estelle Morris! Expelling children from school for
possessing or smoking cannabis is a ridiculously extreme punishment.

It is a nonsense to punish an activity that is illegal because of the (very
small) risk that it may ruin someone's life by taking action that will
certainly ruin that person's life in a far more serious way.

Most teenage children take illegal drugs at some time. The vast majority
are none the worse for it. I do not condone this, any more than any other
illegal activities teenagers get up to, but it is ridiculous to pretend the
facts are otherwise.

The problems of identifying offenders means only the tiny minority unlucky
enough or silly enough to get caught will be expelled. But logically, if we
are to expel any teenage children for this activity, then surely we should
expel all of them.

DAVID WRIGHT
Yew Tree House
Longparish, Andover,Hampshire

Checked-by: derek rea