LET'S NOT FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT WITH FAILED TACTICS

Peter Maresch (Letters, December 30) ignores the laws of supply and
demand that govern the legal and illegal drug trades. No matter how
much cocaine is seized by the Australian authorities, it will do
nothing to change the vast international industry that produces and
distributes the drug, nor to change people's attitudes to indulging in
it.

Intensive regulation and education around tobacco use have resulted in
a reduction in the abuse of that drug in a particular demographic,
while the abuse of alcohol, differently regulated, is apparently on
the rise within other demographics.

Not all drugs are the same, nor are they used by the same groups of
people. The way they are controlled and distributed has a crucial
impact on the way they are used and perceived. All the research shows
the regulation of a drug by governments militates against criminal
involvement in that drug.

Bruce McIntyre

Marrickville