IN response to Alun Buffry’s letter ‘It’s time to make cannabis legal’ (LT, May 18), while I agree with every word, I cannot believe he would tolerate the headline. Everyone knows cannabis is a plant, not subject to law – it is those who like it who are denied their rights.

Talk of cannabis invokes stigma. They attack us by fearmongering and punishing otherwise law-abiding citizens, or even deny all of us the possibility of choice, ever.

Note use of cannabis is not illegal.

There is no such thing in law as a legal or illegal drug, and we should resist these terms. Governments like to say alcohol is legal because it implies the irresponsible drinkers are outside the law. That is wrong, but we all should agree only to be regulated in the sense that there are safe places to buy drugs, and that as long as you don’t make a nuisance of yourself, then all personal drug choices are a matter of privacy.

Darryl Bickler, non-practising solicitor and co-founder of the Drug Equality Alliance (via email).