WHILE we light our candles in sorrow for our fellow Australians being executed for drug trafficking and while we stomp and rant about sporting heroes getting "let off" for their own forays into the world of illegal drugs, there are many loud opinions being voiced. However, what I am not hearing is the calling out about our own failed drug policies. Most people have been totally indoctrinated with the idea that drugs need to be illegal for our own safety. However, all the evidence shows that prohibition of drug use, the criminalising of addicts and the "zero tolerance" approach that is the war on drugs has failed humanity. Prohibition does not save lives, does nothing to help addicts and only serves the violent criminal gangs that profit from the lack of oversight and regulation that occurs as a natural consequence of making drugs illegal. Prohibition of drugs causes and compounds suffering. The whole notion that drugs need to be illegal is based on lies. When will those in power listen to the experts and the clear evidence they present?

MICHAEL BROER Maroochy River

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