CANNABIS BAN NEITHER REALISTIC NOR SENSIBLE

Sir

The debate on the legalisation of cannabis is not a debate on either the
much-acclaimed therapeutic benefits or the less frequently heard cries
echoing from the days of US "Reefer Madness" campaigns. The first duty of
government is to ensure the health and well being of all its citizens, so
the ultimate decision on whether or not to legalise cannabis rests on the
answer to one question:- does prohibition do more harm than good?

By failing to address this fundamental question in your analysis, your
conclusion that "any relaxation in the law will result in increased use
among young people, together with a proportionate increase in the dangerous
risks associated with any type of drug taking", is totally wrong.

It is vital to differentiate between pure cannabis and the concoctions
often sold illegally on the streets of the UK - seldom mentioned by
anti-drug agencies.

Various reports confirm that the most widely available street cannabis
routinely contains: tars and bitumen, glues and solvents, ketamine,
barbiturates and other crushed up pharmaceuticals, colouring agents and
even animal excrement.

This poison is what an estimated 5 million people, including "the children"
who the law claims to protect, are routinely smoking. Worse still, because
black-market cannabis is diluted, it is necessary to smoke more to achieve
the desired effect.

The effects on health are certainly far worse than the cannabis plant
itself ever could be.

Whilst allegations of harm directed at cannabis remain to be proven, the
consequences of the destructive prohibition law are clear to anyone who
cares to look.

Cannabis prohibition poisons, it criminalises millions of people, funds
organised crime, increases underage usage, diminishes freedom, promotes
disrespect for the law, and does NOT curtail usage. It also brings an
increasing number of young people into contact with hard drug dealers.

The logical conclusion therefore, is that cannabis prohibition is neither a
realistic nor a sensible goal of public policy and should be dismantled
immediately.

Carl Wagner