Pubdate: Thu, 09 Sep 1999
Date: 09/09/1999
Source: Guardian Weekly, The (UK)
Author: Steve Wellcome

"Just say no to the annual summer drugs debate" (August 26) was a
superb article. The facts were known in 1893, and they haven't changed
in the past 106 years. It doesn't make sense to criminalise cannabis
use.

Francis Wheen could just as well have pointed to any of a multitude of
other studies, such as the 1968 Wootton Report, the 1970 LeDain Report
from Canada, or the 1972 Shafer Report in the United States. All
essentially agree with the Indian Hemp Commission, and all agree that
criminalising cannabis use is a bad idea. I do not believe there has
been a credible drug policy study that has concluded otherwise.

STEVE WELLCOME
Bolton, Massachusetts, USA