Sir, - I am amazed at the public's perception of the Legalise Cannabis Party. It is one of either extreme hostility or jocularity. It should be noted that every new movement is met with distrust in Irish society. When the anti apartheid movement started up it was viewed with so much suspicion that the Special Branch used to surreptitiously attend its meetings, no doubt in the hope of catching some communist or other misfit. Likewise, it wasn't so long ago that to advocate equality for homosexuals would mean an end to a political career. Thankfully we have grown up a lot over the past few years, yet in regard to the drugs problem our politicians are still stuck with their heads in the sand.
Space does not permit me to list all the reasons why cannabis should be legalised, but the public should be aware of some fundamental facts:
1. Prohibiting drugs does not work. The alcohol prohibition in America created an illegal organisation which 70 years on is still reaping the benefits.
2. If our prisons are overcrowded it makes little sense to lock away people whose only crime is to be caught in possession of small amounts of cannabis.
3. Of all the millions of people who have taken cannabis, no one has died as a result.
If all the political parties are so sure that cannabis should be prohibited, why do they refuse to debate the issue with the Legalise Cannabis Party? Yours, etc.,
Deansgrange,
Co Dublin.