LETTER:Wondering out loud can cause reefer madness

From Mr Roger Howard

Sir: The debate about the legal status of drugs is in danger of being hijacked for moral and political capital, rather than contributing to an effective response to growing drug problems.

The key issue is that the effectiveness of current laws remains untested. There is clear evidence of a growing mismatch between the extent of young people's drug use and a law that has the potential to propel them through a costly and inappropriate criminal justice system.

With drug addiction up 13 per cent in the last year alone, the effectiveness of the current balance of resources between enforcement and control (66 per cent) and treatment, care and education (less than 32 per cent) needs reconsideration. With an independent task force reviewing the effectiveness of drug treatment and care services, the time is ripe for a matching review of the effectiveness of the legal response.

Yours faithfully,

Roger Howard

Chief Executive

Standing Conference on

Drug Abuse

London, SE1

30 October