DRUGS AND THE LAW

LABOUR MSP Duncan McNeil (July 10) needs to consider that law
enforcement and rehabilitation are mutually exclusive. Would
alcoholics seek help for their illness if doing so were tantamount to
confessing to criminal activity? Likewise, would putting every
incorrigible alcoholic behind bars and saddling them with criminal
records prove cost-effective?

McNeil's "tough love" approach would compel individuals suffering from
addiction, pregnant or otherwise, to avoid seeking treatment.
Eliminating the excessive penalties associated with illicit drug abuse
would encourage the type of honest discussion necessary to facilitate
rehabilitation and save lives.

Robert Sharpe, Policy Analyst, Common Sense for Drug Policy,
Washington DC.