THE DRUG MYTHS

The conspiracy theorists who appear to occupy senior positions in the
majority of anti-drug organisations, such as Deirdre Lyra (Letters Extra,
17/12), no doubt still look under their beds each night to see if any
communists lurk there.

Norm Aisbett's appallingly biased piece has unfortunately acted as a
rallying point for those who hold similarly distorted views on the
involvement of George Soros and others in the fight against some drugs
prohibition. Of course, it is much easier to look for a scapegoat than
address the real issue of drug use in our society.

At the WA Drug Summit, outdated and factually incorrect arguments against
cannabis law reform were consistently exposed for what they are - ignorant
myths designed to frighten people into supporting the failed "war on
drugs". As the final outcomes at the summit demonstrated, when ordinary
citizens are provided the facts and these myths are exposed, support for
cannabis law reform is overwhelming.

No one is suggesting cannabis is harmless - although it is much less
harmful than alcohol and tobacco. The most harmful aspects of cannabis use
are the laws that give young and old alike criminal records for life and
the exposure to drug dealers who also push heroin and other hard drugs.

I look forward to the Government acting on the recommendations from the
summit, and subsequent ministerial taskforce report, and bringing in
long-overdue reform to WA's cannabis laws next year.

The only real losers when this occurs will be organised crime, whose
monopoly will be broken, and the misguided anti-drug groups that will have
to find another moral crusade to inflict on us all.

JASON MEOTTI

State president, AustralianDrug Law Reform Foundation (WA) Inc.