Alcohol, cannabis and hard drugs will always be an intrinsic part of our society.

Alcohol prohibition did not work in the 1920s and it is not working now for recreational drugs. Furthermore, there is no evidence that the 'war on drugs' is being won.

At present, the purity, availability and price of drugs is under the exclusive control of the worst elements of our society, i.e. criminals.

These individuals/organisations are ruthless in their efforts to maximize profits and have not an ounce of social responsibility.

The purity and availability of drugs is inconsistent and the price is astronomical.

As a result, society bears the very heavy burden of being subjected to and having to manage the consequences of this arrangement.

Users are forced to rob and steal in order to pay for their overpriced drugs, they overdose because of inconsistent quality of drugs, they spread HIV through needle sharing and we are subjected to armed conflict by gangs in turf wars over the drug business.

In my opinion, cannabis is neither safer nor more dangerous a drug than alcohol.

The danger to the individual user and to society come primarily from the criminality that necessarily surrounds its illicit traffic.

Cannabis should be legalised and should be sold and taxed by a government controlled outlet with the same safeguards as we apply to the sale of alcohol.

Hard drugs pose a more serious problem as they tend to be much more addictive.

However, there is no doubt in my mind that Government and not the criminal element should have control of them.

Addiction should be seen as the disease entity it is and addicts should not have to resort to crime or use dirty needles to deal with their problem.

Hard drug addiction is a sorry state for the individual.

However, if control of these substances is left in the hands of criminals, it is society that suffers the consequences resulting from addicts' desperation to fund their addiction.