Pubdate: Fri, 19 Aug 2005 Source: Cayman Net News (Cayman Islands) Copyright: 2005 Cayman Net Ltd Contact: http://www.caymannetnews.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3700 Author: A.V. Wosendircht Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n1279.a07.html and http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05.n1341.a06.html CONTROLLING DRUGS NOT SUCH A BAD IDEA Dear Sir, I have read with interest recently some correspondence on your letters page regarding the legalisation of drugs. I have many friends living in the Cayman Islands and I have had the privilege of visiting the country on numerous occasions and find it very beautiful. Yet the crime, which you now seem to be experiencing, looks to me very much as though it is drug related. I live in Amsterdam and can confirm what one of your correspondents said, that we have a much lower crime rate than the United States and I believe Amsterdam is one of the safest cities in the world, even though the use of certain drugs for personal use is permitted. Law enforcement is much more concerned with the larger production and distribution of so called hard drugs than it is with individual's personal use. In reality however, the Netherlands is still a long way from complete legalisation and the removal of these dangerous substances from the criminals into the hands of governments, which was the point made by another of your correspondents and one I believe address the problem from a global perspective. The drug trade is an international trade consequently the world needs an international solution. All over the world, law enforcement is losing the fight with the drug dealers and the trade and all of its associated ills are increasingly damaging societies. All drugs are bad, but the world's decision to legalise some i.e. tobacco and alcohol, but not others is hypocritical at best and extremely dangerous as we see at worst. The movement to completely re-think the drugs trade from a new perspective, which considers the possibility of government's controlling the production and sale of all illegal substances, has increasing merit, in particular in Europe. It is refreshing to see the discussion and debate spread. I hope more correspondents will throw their weight behind these ideas and move the debate from the pages of the world's media to the political halls of power. A.V. Wosendircht - --- MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin