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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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Letter: Why can't companies pay for crime they cause? Dilys Wood The Sentinel Monday 29 Dec 2008 The alcohol industry is massively wealthy and almost recession-proof, so why does the taxpayer have to foot the bill? While we allow alcohol advertising, we should also expect the industry to clean up after itself. I have been invited to Salford University Debating Society in February next year for what I'm sure will be a lively and interesting debate on the legalisation of cannabis. While I realise most of the country is currently in an alcohol haze, I wanted to share some information I will be using in the debate. According to government statistics (www.statistics.gov. uk), 504,052 people died in the UK in 2007. Thirty-one per cent of these deaths were drug related. Twenty-two per cent were due to tobacco (114,000) and seven per cent were due to alcohol (40,000) with the other two per cent made up of all other drug-related deaths, including 700 people who died from heroin use, 295 from methadone use and 214 from cocaine use. Cannabis is recorded as causing one death in 2007, which accounts for 0.00002 per cent of UK deaths. I can accept my taxes being used to entertain and accommodate those who can't enjoy themselves without getting drunk, but I strongly object to the millions of pounds of tax-payers' money wasted every year in an attempt to prevent the use of non-taxed (and therefore "illegal") drugs. Prohibition is a costly and damaging mistake and while many of you suffer from that socially acceptable drug withdrawal called a hangover, some of us see through the hypocrisy and lies. DILYS WOOD Legalise Cannabis Alliance Stoke-on-Trent
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