I'M writing in response to the various letters condemning the decision to allow Howard Marks to appear at Morecambe's Platform.

I'm glad that parochial attitudes did not infringe on the rights of discerning adults to make their own judgement about this man and his work.

I find it somewhat disconcerting that ill informed politicos feel within their rights to insult the intelligence of the general public by suggesting that we need protecting from the corrupting influence of Mr Marks, as if we were all incapable of making our own rational judgements.

It pleases me that the issue of legalisation of cannabis has again been brought to public attention. I find people's acceptance of the blatant and dangerous hypocrisy which constitutes the UK's policy on cannabis use totally baffling.

There is little doubt that cannabis, like most things, has negative properties and can , if misused, make you anxious, apathetic, dull, lazy and paranoid, but then alcohol, the Government's legal and highly-taxed alternative, has far more violent, destructive and even deadly side effects.

So, why is it that we are permitted to use our judgement when it comes to alcohol, a drug which when taken to excess incites aggression and recidivism, yet we are legally prohibited from smoking cannabis, a drug which incites chocolate bingeing and sleep!

Of the people I know, 90 per cent have at some point in their lives experimented with cannabis, good, honest, decent people who are now classed as criminals because of a simple consumer choice.

The Government however, insists, that the criminalisation of cannabis is solely to protect UK citizens from making choices that might be detrimental to our well being, but if this were truly the case then why not criminalise motor racing, boxing or pot holing?

It's ironic that by criminalising cannabis, the Government handed over a hugely profitable industry to organised criminals. It appears that politicians are more frightened of people giggling and forgetting where they hid that bag of Monster Munch, then they are of financing armed gangsters.

The amount of public money and police time that is wasted on harassing cannabis users must be immense, surely that money and energy would be better spent on research and education into the long term effects of cannabis use, so that when people come to make the decision of whether or not to try the drug (or any other drug) their decision is an informed one and not in anyway naive.

I, like millions of people, have opted to make my own decision on this issues regardless of the law, which I believe to be archaic, insulting and morally wrong. I would like to make it clear that I in no way encourage people to experiment with cannabis, in the same way I would never ask anyone to go and drink themselves into a stupor. It's about personal choice. I just find the hypocrisy annoying. Don't you?

Byron Vincent

Clarendon Road

Morecambe.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.