Pubdate: Sat, 24 May 2003 Source: Evening News (UK) Copyright: 2003 Archant Regional Contact: http://www.eveningnews24.co.uk/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/141 Author: Tara Daines A LACK OF LOGIC IN OUR LAWS ON DRUGS I WOULD like to join in the debate between June Rose (Evening News, April 20) and Alun Buffry of the Legalise Cannabis Alliance (Evening News, May 8). People who smoke cannabis as "joints" are not being harmed by the cannabis but by the tobacco, the most addictive of all drugs. Yet still it is legal; to smoke tobacco and illegal to smoke cannabis. Alcohol is legal and yet it is well known that persistent drinking harms the liver, leads to sclerosis and early death. And just as there is a small number of people who have severe reactions to cannabis, there are those who react badly to alcohol. Some people have an extreme reaction to peanuts. It puzzles me that alcohol is sold without even a health warning on the bottle. Pure cannabis smoked through water or ice as is done in the Middle Eastern countries is the least harmful way. But cannabis users are forbidden by law to do this. It's acceptable to get together in the pub and drink any amount of alcohol but it is illegal for friends to gather in a home and smoke or enjoy cannabis together. Surely there is some lack of logic in our present drug laws, not to mention injustice. Tara Daines Meron Road Norwich - --- MAP posted-by: Tom