Letter: Legalisation would damage more lives

Sir: The front page of your edition (13 October) contained an article by your crime correspondent Terry Kirby under the heading 'Judge advocates legalising drugs'. One sentence in this article concerns me. It reads: 'Although he did not specify which drugs, he was clearly referring to heroin, cocaine and crack.'

I hope that this is incorrect. All these drugs are heavily addictive, but in particular crack, which is a derivative of cocaine, can ensnare a young person after only a very short time of indulging in the drug.

Those who advocate making drugs legal can make a convincing argument on the basis of reducing crime which is committed by those wishing to obtain money to buy these drugs and amongst those peddling them. It does not take into account all those young people whose lives can be irreparably damaged by abuse of drugs and whose number would inevitably increase if legalisation were to take place.

Drugs legalisation could condone the practice of drug taking. This is something that every thinking parent and schoolteacher is doing everything to prevent.

Yours sincerely,

JACK STEWART-CLARK

MEP for East Sussex (Con)

Brussels

14 October

The writer is vice-president of the

European Parliament.