Prohibition has and will never work. It breeds mafiaso. The smoking ban will fall and crumble as it was always doomed too. Making drugs legal will not increase the problem but it will remove the dealers from the equation. It will guarantee quality and bring in tax, free up prisons and the police.

J Nowland, Leeds, United Kingdom

The problem in Britain is Alcohol and cigarettes which are also classified as heavy legal drug's , they are more people who are dying from lung cancer and liver disease caused by drugs which are legal. We must stop blaming the police who are outnumbered by drug users. CONTROL ALCOHOL&TOBACO- FIRST

Daniel Salaman, NICOSIA, CYPRUS

drugs = enjoyment. our puritan tradition of unrelenting hard work and self denial - deep rooted if not so apparent now - means people in the uk resort to substances that both allow you to enjoy yourself and forget that you're not supposed to be doing it. that's why we have probs with drugs and drink

andy p, st albans, uk

The selfishness of drug users is staggering, given their habit causes corruption, war, crime and terrorism leading to suffering for millions. Perhaps you can't jail every drug user but charging some of the high profile celebrity users, combined with harsh sentences might help remove the galmour.

David Lea-Smith, Edinburgh, U.K.

Even if we do have legislation which does not prohibit the ingestion and sale of all psychoactive drugs people will still not be able to afford to maintain their drug habits and will probably continue to fund their consumption through theft etc. And how do you market drugs safely to the public?

john, norfolk, england

Let's not invent social diseases unnecessarily. This would be an abuse of the NHS. It would be easy but wrong, in my view, to bundle up "illegal drug risks" in some fancy financial instrument to be sold together with other "risky" freedoms eg our rights to consent and our future health care choices.

Mrs.Josephine Hyde-Hartley, Bacup, UK

Utter stupidity, it is a fundamental human right for us to do with our bodies as we please. The only issue I have with drug use is the social cost of addicts trying to fund their habit- the Rausings can clearly afford to do so without resorting to crime.

CS, Sydney, Australia

We have a similar problem in the US. The problem is bad drug laws and disregard for the law. I believe in legalizing drugs, but I am waiting for them to become legal before trying them. Smoking indoors and hoping you don't get caught does not count as civil disobedience.

Joseph, New York City, USA

Two words stand out 'nihilistic' and 'naughty'. It covers the rich and the poor, desperation and 'thrills'. Until we tackle the lack of hope and purpose within our society we are going to have people looking for a repeatable way out. Likewise with alcohol. Some is choice, some is addiction. Discuss.

Bob Ericson, Tewkesbury, Glos,

The solution is conceptually easy. Legalize these drugs, but require that they are sold from licensed premises, like alcohol, only stricter. When the illegal trade has withered away because the profit has gone then start taxing them!

Charles, Charlottesville,

This story is a perfect example of how authoritarianism is the default mood of society not because it is effective, but because intuition and common-sense suggest that it will be effective.

Simon Stephenson, Windermere, UK

At what point does alcohol get to be different from other drugs? Once smaoking was accepted and fashionable too, today it is known to be difinitely bad, and banned in most places. Is it recognising ill effects or about established private enterprise that makes the difference between drink and drugs?

Dr. J. Gokhale, Bangalore, , India.

Class A drugs are the only drugs the police should be using their time to control. And with a little help from the government & the courts they could do it. Real prison sentences, but cut in half if the dealer is named.
All users are part of the chain, they are all equally guilty.
So convict all.

JMendoza, Madrid, Spain

Sincere, risky and a coragious article! These people are already serving their term... everyone is aware of their guilt and they are already dying!
The paper thin, transparent justice system is a result of all of us trusting in the snakes that ran thecountry under 'New Labour'

It's our fault...

Jonathan, Siena, Italy

Perhaps if the likes of Kate Moss, Amy Winehouse and Pete Docherty were made examples of and adequately punished ordinary people would find drugs less glamourous. For a first offence maybe rehab/education works, after that adequate punishment is needed.

Andrew, Cardiff, UK

Ignoring the careers built from so-called drug wars is a folly, The police and the usual suspects need to maintain the fiction that there is a war on drugs. The war is on the population per se. Without a war on something or other there would be no "justifiable.reason" for their inflated existence.

Quinbus Flestrin, Hartlepool, UK

Drug criminalisation feeds the illegal drug industry, nothing more nothing less. Remove the means of supply from the hands of criminals and you solve 80% of crime overnight. Its that simple...

Sach, London,

It's not drugs that destroy communities - it's the laws against them that do that. Legalise or decrim, do something positive for God's sake, rather than the usual holier-than-thou rubbish. Either that or start drug testing MP's and civil servants. Expose their hypocrisy and we'd see honest debate.

Steve, London, UK

I bet the children involved in your highlighted case were neither taken into care by social services or placed on the 'at risk' register. Another two tier system.

Gary, Swindon,

The world will have a drug problem until human beings stop seeking pleasure or release through altered consciousness. After 12,000 years of such behaviour, I'm sure we will shape up any day now. Right?

Eric Richard, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

Since when did justice become a post code lottery? One cannot think but that pressure has been applied to turn aside the Crown Prosecution Service. How else to explain this gross anomaly? Answer - toleration of this criminal industry by the ruling elite is bringing misery and death to thousands.

Jack Sprackling, Mary, France

What gives the government the right to decide what you can and can't put inside your own body?

What gives the government the right to tell you what you can and can't use to defend you and your family?

Has anyone ever head of 'freedom' in this country?

George, UK,

Okay, lets keep this simple. We live on an ISLAND, we have a navy. Stop and search all cargo of ships arriving in this country.
Search all bags and Xray all passengers arriving in britain. Police our borders properly then we will win the war on drugs.
Treat celebrities as crimminals and jail them

Tedward, Gosport, Britain

It might sound unfair but a society can't afford to treat its top performers like its bottom performers. Apart from that, it shouldn't be the state's business what substances individuals put in their bodies.

Matt, Berlin, Germany

Hooks of Sydney is right. The problem could be solved within 12 months or so. Several dealers swinging by a rope should focus the mind.

Gordon, Birmingham, England

Nice article. Excellent example of the hypocrisy which surrounds us all.

William T in London: ridiculous comment.

Joe, Ontario, Canada

This proves beyond any doubt that our justice system is the best that money can buy.

Jon Anderson, Farnham, UK

I shed no tears if someone dies from a self inflicted drugs overdose, but I do get upset when people are victims of crime carried out to fuel a drug addiction. In countries that have extremely harsh penalties against drug traffickers have a much lower incidence of drug use, perhaps that's the secret

AB, BARNSLEY,

You can never stop people. you can only find them something better.

ged, manchester,

To stop drugs now would be like draining blood to cure leukaemia. Better to treat like bilharzia. This goes through several phases,parasite,snail,human. Attack the most vulnerable point.Remove supply by offering growers better alternatives, and ruthlessly destroy those who persist.

ged, manchester,

People should be allowed to take whatever drugs they want, but should be excluded from medical care, social security and any other help, help should be paid for, the same with alcohol. Those committing offences to get funding for drugs should be sent down and cleaned up without any tolerance .

Dave Madley, Alicante, Spain

Anyone interested in this issue should read "The Cull" by Mark Frankland. The drugs war could be won. As Grantland Rice said "It's not the size of the dog in a fight, but the size of the fight in the dog."

Bob Jenkins, Telford, England

Kind fairminded people.
I spouted your cr*p & logic forty years ago.

Where I live is sometimes overun with junkies and my car has been smashed open by same, TWICE in the last six months, preventing me from earning wages as well as the repair expense.

Now listen up, WE don't want EXTRA vice.

Frank H., London.,

The major difference between alcohol and cigarettes vs. drugs is their origin. It is an undeniable fact that drugs, such as marijuana, are not produced on organic farms by nuns, but originate in places like Afghanistan, Colombia etc., fueling human misery and suffering.

L, Tel Aviv,

The drugs culture is a reflection of the illness of our mind, psyche, spirit, soul & Society. The only way out of it is to get so sick of it that it becomes a natural thing to reject it. Known as aversion therapy, in the medical trade.

ian cheese, london, uk

Prohibition does not work. If people want to kill themselves with dangerous drugs, let them. Many do so by smoking and drinking. At least by legalising drugs one could control the product quality and destroy a major criminal industry. Too many public sector jobs at stake to let that happen!

Gervas Douglas, Andorra la Vella,

A good thought provoking article & it certainly makes sense to play harder on the anti-social aspect.Sadly we have no space to put them all in jail.We have to find a way of holding all convicted dealers up for public scrutiny & subsequent ridicule.
Publishing names & photos would be a start.

Bob Greenaway, Tamarin, Mauritius

William Thompson - many criminal psychologists aren't murderers themselves but successfully catch them! Knowing your own motive to abstain and hearing others' motive not to is a perfectly valid insight.

I abstain (teetotal) but I'd legalize all drugs because you can't legislate against stupidity!

Elizabeth, London,

People stopped listening to the “Just say no!” mantra when they realised that the pernicious nature of many Class A / B drugs had been grossly overstated. The government's position is not credible until it legislates based on real medical risk. Did you know that booze is >more harmful< than ecstasy?

Phil, Epsom, England

Its disappointing to see how many people here seem unconcerned by the current two-tier justice approach to drug possession. It is clearly time for the courts to stop giving preferential treatment to these "celebrity" users and to lock them up instead. One law for all and one punishment for all!

mike, athens,

Taking drus was once more acceptable - in Edwardian England, as we read in Sherlock Holmes stories, when Holmes took opium & cocain. How & why did drug taking become unfashionable?

Eliz, Peterborough, Cambs

If adults feel the need to take drugs then let them. Their need is the issue not the supply. Give them an NHS addict card and pure supplies. Let them see what happens when it goes wrong. Nothing like an old junkie to scare you off! One law for the rich and another for the poor is a whole new topic!

Chris, London,

The fact of the matter is it's the security services that are the key players in the distributuion of the Class A's.

96% of the worlds Heroin comes out of Afganistan and as you know, we are currently occupying that country.

It's been well doucmented many times, check out 'Iran-Contra' scandal.

Andrew Towell, Hartlepool, England, UK

When it comes down to it, it is the fact that the drug industry is left in the hands of criminals that makes the situation lot more dangerous.

How many Heroin addicts, for example, accidently OD and die because an unusually strong batch comes along from time to time? Prescribe to addicts, simple...

A Non, Jersey, CI,

Our attitude to drugs is about as intelligent as that of a fly trying to escape through a window. Criminalisation didn't work yesterday, the day before, last year, last decade, anywhere. It fails and fails and fails again, but we never have the brains or gumption to look for an alternative.

Frank Upton, Solihull,

After 11 years of this failed Labour government we have no law left in this country just a police force adept at form filling and bending statistics to shown that crime is falling,. What a mess and our useless top cop is being investigated for corruption. You could not make it up.

D Case, Newquay,

The war on drugs is unwinable, despite years on education and say no to drugs more people than ever are taking them, making billions for people involved in the production and distribution.

Legalisation is the only remedy.

H Horse, jersey, uk

Freedom of conscience and intellectual discovery? Aren't these terms being confused with self-indulgence and egotism here? Unless you find sweaty, gibbering, oiks to be enlightening and life-enhancing enough to be worth the trail of ruined lives that brought the drugs to the table.

Angela, London,

The fact that so many rick and successful people appear to be regular drug users seems to be in sharp contrast to the usual government message that taking drugs is only for losers and will destroy your life. I

Andrew Wimble, Brighton, England

Legalise them, make drug addiction a health problem not a criminal one (as with alcoholism), and you will provide an easier way out for addicts who want to change, and kill the huge profits of the illegal trade.

"Vunerable people" need a way out - and prison isn't it.

Nick, France,

Legalising drugs doesnt mean having a WH Spliff on every corner but of allowing addicts to feed their monkey without resorting to crime. It's about taking money away from importers and dealers.

The present US led policy is an utter failure and does not protect our kids.

Derek Smith, Brighton, UK

It could be eliminated rather quickly if you strung up the big boys, but that will never happen because their money and their lawyers will see to that.

Scott, Bangkok, Thailand

This whole debate is riddled with hypocrisy. How can we decriminalise drugs when we are restricting the use of cigarettes and alcohol. Furthermore comparing prohibition with criminalisation of drugs shows how morally bankrupt some people are.

David, Melbourne, Australia

Reid claims taking drugs threatens all that is good and positive in our society. I wonder if she considers a pleasant night out at the pub ingesting alcohol to be positive and good.

And if so, why is ingesting marijuana an attack on all that is positive and good? Because it is illegal? Legalise.

Frank, London,

Correct me if I am wrong, but surely the decision to issue a Caution requires the agreement of the Police, since the Caution itself is always given by a senior police officer. Methinks Sir Ian Blair is just shooting off his mouth again and blaming the CPS without consulting anyone first.

David, london, uk

The fundamental double standard here is the arbitrary distinction between recreational and medicinal drug use. Aren't we entitled to freedom of conscience and intellectual discovery? Some of us have the gene that codes for addiction, some of us don't. Know your limits, do no harm, live responsibly.

Oliver Cunningham, London,

Wiliam Thomson's comments are just a matter of exporting the criminality. Does he believe that the drugs bought by the rich here (with their legally earned money) weren't produced by exploting, terrorising, killing and destroying the poor in countries such as Colombia? Shame on him!

MarK Jones, Cardiff, Wales

I wonder if a good way to deal with this would be, amongst other things, to make it a criminal offence for the media to glamorise, sanction or promote 'safe' drug abuse. Face it, your sector is one of the most complicit in this problem. Why shouldn't you take some responsibility?

Michael, Poole,

Mike said it!
"the lesson of history is that trying to legislate morality is a waste of money."
It is not a 'culture of tolerance' that serves to strengthen innequality under the guise of the 'war' on drugs. Indeed it is the culture of intolerance!
Build people up rather than destroying them.

J Steven Reese, Juneau, AK, USA

Repeal drug laws for the same reasons Prohibition was repealed: e.g., 1) adults have a right to choose, 2) outlawing drugs creates a worldwide criminal class, 3) drugs keep flowing anyway, 4) jails are jammed with addicts, 5) police must neglect other crimes, 6) addicts have kids who need things.

Walter, East Hampton, U.S.A.

Yes. Let them Have all the "JUNK" they want, but when it comes to treatment. NO NO NO.

Jim, memphis, TN, USA

Because the law says so, thats why ,Rob Glasgow ,usually the after effects of abuse of alcohol are usually so monstrous that it is enough of a deterrent itself....ectasy is not "evil" it is boring and as such has to be controlled so the minds of the nation dont become infected with the mind numbing

anne glen, goslar, Germany

Both rich and poor people who buy cocaine are feeding an industry that is destroying Colombia with murder, endemic corruption and hundreds of deaths and serious injuries a year of children as a result of landmines laid to protect cocaine factories and plantations. Jail every cocaine possessor.

Alan Bates, London, UK

Different drugs are normal in foreign cultures. The replacement of the British natives merely replaces the drug of choice.

keith bentham, wigan, uk

Any serious solution would include a graded system of corporal punishment and gaol time for all users and the subsequent public execution of all drug distributors. Firm government commitments backed by financial and judicial resources (not rhetoric) and maybe special 'drug gaols' for first offenders

Hooks, Sydney, Australia

"Every recreational drug user is feeding an industry that threatens all that is good and positive in society. It is a nihilistic act."

How so? How is it different from the drunken buffoons rolling around drunk outside my house on a saturday night? Why is alcohol ok but ecstasy evil?

Rob, Glasgow,

Wasn't that what sank Prohibition in USA? The evasion of the law by the vast majority of the middle and upper classes - the lesson of history is that trying to legislate morality is a waste of money. But then of course, we are doomed to repeat the lessons, aren't we?

Mike, Auckland, NZ

People should be treated leniantly for drugs offences when they give up the names of their dealers to either the police or a judge and not before.

Then we'll know that they really want to rehabilitate.

JL Carter, Huddersfield, UK

Decriminalizing drugs presently illegal would be the greatest disaster for the illegal drug trade, including money laundering. Which is why governments, particularly the US government will never decriminalise. Times would never publish if I wrote more so do your own research.

Andrew Milner, Karuizawa, Japan

Drugs are a personal matter, and not one the law should be involved with. If people wish to take drugs, then no one (government included) has the right to stop or punish them for it. People should be made responsible for their own actions, however, including the negative effects of drug use.

Murray Rothbard, Airstrip One, EUSSR

@William Thompson:

I have never heard such utter, utter drivel in my entire life.

Poorer people on drugs = thieves.

What a patronising, ignorant, abhorrent view to have.

The charge is 'Possession of Class A drugs'.

Stephen McCarten, Liverpool,

The 'nasty under classes' are the ones who do effect the crime figures with Burglary and car crime to feed their habit. The 'privileged' user does not effect in the same way. Which way would you like it? Put all the police resources into a 'stats' based target or one that has no 'effect' on figures.

Wilf, Doncaster,

You clearly have never taken drugs so I would contend are not really able to comment on motivation for use.
Yes, there is a disparity in the sentencing but rich people are purchasing drugs with legally obtained money poor people are stealing to feed their habit causing greater harm to society.

William Thompson, London, UK