Costly failure; LETTERS to the EDITOR.

AS IF the Government didn''t look absurdly isolated enough in its attitude on drugs, especially after sacking its appointed head of its drugs advisory body, the first cannabis cafe has opened in the previously most hard-line antidrugs country - the USA. This follows last month''s instruction, from President Obama, to the country''s prosecutors to ease off medical cannabis prosecutions.

People have to accept that the prohibition of drugs has been a predictably abysmal and costly failure. We have to expand the availability of registered users obtaining drugs legally; which would also eliminate both much organised and petty crime.

Mark Bill, via email