Sir, – When one considers the damage caused by alcohol, no reasonable person could object to a total ban on advertising and promotion. It should receive the same treatment as tobacco.
The Government should go further and de-criminalise all drugs, give them the same status as alcohol and tobacco. That would ensure quality control and eliminate the greatest hazard faced by users. A lot of revenue could be raised, some of which could be used to provide the best possible treatment for addicts. More could be used to engage a top advertising agency with the remit to de-glamorise all drugs. If they can sell us a macho image of a drug, when it is the precise opposite, they can sell us anything.
Such a policy would have the added advantage of freeing the gardaí from wild-goose chasing after drug dealers. – Yours, etc,