RELATIVE SAFETY

Sir, Dr Paul Skett, of Glasgow University, says it is "a belief born
of ignorance" to say that ecstasy and amphetamine are safe (your
report, 17 April). But it is a belief born of ignorance to say many
common substances are safe.

One of Scotland's major exports, whisky, is a neurotoxin that causes
brain damage on a scale far greater than that which may or may not be
caused by ecstasy. Proportionally, far more people are killed and
injured by alcohol than by all the illegal drugs combined. Noone
would claim that alcohol is safe and yet people are prepared to take
the risk in order to add an extra dimension of enjoyment to their
lives.

Noone in the "prolobby" says ecstasy, or whisky, or a host of other
things are safe but that these are relative and must be seen in
context so that people can make sound decisions based on facts and not
on the sort of distorted scare propoganda represented by Dr Skett's
statements.

John Yates