Letters: Putting it bluntly on cannabis

[Re: Sadiq Khan could be leading the way in deserting the foolish war on drugs, yesterday]

It is right to say the war on drugs is being lost by the government and police. Every city estate in the country has a problem, visible or invisible.

One woman in my estate, in a leafy green area of SE London, took on the local dealer, single handedly and got rid of them, certainly visibly, out of the playground and public nuisance. How is that for “war on drugs”? No dead bodies either. My concern with relaxing the laws on the use of the class B drug is the addictive element.

With more relaxation of rules and the wider availability the risk of more addicts could very well increase. Unless the addictive element can be removed? I have watched a young man, over a 10 year period, go from using cannabis recreationally, to using it more frequently, to cocaine use until his nose bled, finally to crack addiction that ended him in prison. After that yes, prison got him off drugs and out on probation, only to die of a heart attack; reasons unclear, but years of drug abuse did not help. He was 35. I hope the study looks at the longer term consequences.

Mai Dillon

Eliot Wilson had one word right : foolish or rather deeply irresponsible. As Mayor of London, Khan is responsible for keeping Londoners safe. Legalising cannabis would do the opposite. Legitimising cannabis use would add to the epidemic in mental health issues and create a pathway to other crimes.

Tony Devenish AM