Source: Evening News, Norwich, UK

Pub Date 14 March 1997

Pub LTE: The truth is people have always taken substances

Author: Craig Capps

THE TRUTH IS PEOPLE HAVE ALWAYS TAKEN SUBSTANCES

A. Bell, in his letter "It's all too easy to blame others" (Evening News March 13th), is only partly correct when he says "Anyone can see ... that our streets will never be free of drug pushers while ... people are willing and stupid enough to take drugs."

The truth is people have always taken substances to change their mood or perception; these include cannabis, mushrooms and alcohol. In present days it is mostly cannabis, alcohol, ecstasy, LSD and the other illegal drugs, as well as some prescribed pills. Whether or not this means that they are stupid is debatable.

What is not debatable is that the laws which prohibit drug use are completely ineffective as more and more people, including very young ones, are taking illegal drugs.

The real effect of prohibition is to drive the supplies onto the streets, increase prices (attracting others to the considerable profits to be made) and a cause general increase in crime by addicts to finance their habits. New addicts are created by others who wish to support their own habits. Quality drops and problems multiply.

Cannabis, an exceptionally safe substance according to the DEA Judge Young and other experts, creates no problems. This was made clear by the Department of Health who provide specialised drug-problem treatment as determined by the need of the users; they have no plans to introduce such treatment for cannabis users.

The first step to solving the drugs problem is to recognise the reality of drug taking and the rights of adults to choose what they put into their body, with advice provided and quality assured. Cannabis must be legalised immediately, to free up public funds (about £400 million a year is spent catching close to 100,00 cannabis offenders), police and court time, and prison space. Then research could be encouraged into the medicinal values of this remarkable plant.

Other drugs should be legalised in a controlled way so that they are available on prescription. This would bring down the price, ease the pressure on creating new addicts, take the business away from pushers on the streets, and avoid illness and death through improper use, unknown strength or impurities. The associated crime rate would drop encouragingly. Drug use would at worst be regarded as a sickness, not a crime, and people could be helped. Certainly drugs would be off the streets and hopefully far away from minors.

It remains hard to understand why the politicians refuse to even debate the legalisation of cannabis, when the evidence shows it to be safe. One wonders why cannabis, which kills none, is illegal, yet alcohol and tobacco, which kill many thousands, are legal. One wonders if we are being told the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Sincerely, Craig Capps