Pubdate: 20 Aug, 1999
Source: Independent, The (UK)
Copyright: 1999 Independent Newspapers (UK) Ltd.
Contact:  1 Canada Square, Canary Wharf, London E14 5DL
Website: http://www.independent.co.uk/
Section: Letters
Author: David R Addison
Related: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v99.n851.a03.html

ADDICT'S PROGRESS

Sir: The Chief Constable of Strathclyde (report, 17 August) and others who
argue that cannabis should remain criminalised because "there is clear
evidence that some [hard drug users] started on cannabis" are guilty of
spurious reasoning. The truly telling statistic is not how many hard drug
users graduated to hard drugs from cannabis; it is how many cannabis users
have graduated to hard drugs.

Most people who use cannabis graduate to it from alcohol, but not everyone
who drinks alcohol graduates to cannabis use. This is a pity, because
Saturday nights down at the pub would almost certainly be less violent and
more interesting if they did. 

DAVID R ADDISON
London N1

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