Another mindless poorly thought out rant from the 'Having never tried drugs I can 100% guarantee that they have absolutely no positive effect what so ever' brigade

@ James, Oxford
"People aren't killed or blackmailed to put beer on our supermarket shelves", correct, because alcohol is legal.

Martin, York, U.K.

For you to have your few innocent grams of personal freedom, whole countries are held at ransome by those who control the drug trade, innocent people are killed, and criminal lifestyles are sustained. If you think there is nothing wrong with it, please do some research into where they come from.

Jessica, Sheffield, UK

David Germany
'Perfectly innocent and intelligent young people who use drugs?' What planet are you Living on?
Mark Williams how I agree. I lived in the Balearics when the whole hippy-drug thing was at its height. David shouid have seen the young and innocent destroying themselves there.
EO

Eileen O Conor, Cordoba, Spain

He is right that the punishment for using drugs should be the same as for selling drugs. Both are peaceful, consensual activities and neither should be illegal. Everything else in this article is senseless rambling.

Brandon Bowers, Denver, United States

The author is quite right. Both using and selling drugs are equal on the scale, in that neither is wrong. Indeed, using and selling the three most ubiquitious drugs isn't even illegal. Or are coffee shops, pubs, and tabacconists now under threat?

Dave, london,

Using drugs oneself is a personal choice, selling them to others is making their choices for them.
Ben Robinson, Brighton, UK

What an insane comment! The choice lies with the individual who buys, who starts the entire transactional process by creating the demand. The seller responds.

It's buyers!

Laura Roberts, London, UK

I'm with all the people who stand up to defend George's right to innocent self-destruction, but wake up! The cocaine user is not the only victim; just look at where the stuff comes from. Alcohol is a ridiculous comparison. People aren't killed or blackmailed to put beer on our supermarket shelves.

James, Oxford,

Nonsense. It may be stupid, but it isn't wrong .... Drugs and crime are linked largely by the need of the user to get the money to pay for the drug. Not the drug itself.

Mike Homfray, LIVERPOOL,

Save me from self righteous commentators with a platform, have we completely outlawed the individual? Are we all expected to 'be good, be vigilant and behave', monotone actors in a script we didn't write? We are humans with all the attendant foibles, not programmed machines, liberty or death!

Winston Smith, Edinburgh, UK

Please tell me what is "wrong" with the use of drugs ? and anything you may come up with, ask yourself if prohibition doesn't make this "wrong" worse

Gavin, London, England

Uninformed tosh. I've been responsibly enjoying various substances for 25 years, ('tho not alchohol nor tobacco, since I value my health). The only problem wiith "drugs" (a pathetically ambiguous term), is the stupidity of prohibition. If anything, George Michael should be commended for his honesty.

Alastair, Alicante, Spain

"there is a clear association between use of the drug and propensity to commit violent crime."

...no, there isn't, and this tired old "drugs = criminal action" chestnut is getting old. Maybe in your neighbourhood Ross, not mine.

T Austin, London, UK

It's a good job he didn't mix up his recycling on bins day. Then he would really be in trouble.
Welcome to Britain under Labour !!

Ian Wilkinson, Portsmouth, England

Sir,

You are suggesting convicted users should receive the same sentence as dealers. Is it possible that you don't appreciate the extent of drug use in this country, and the amount of otherwise perfectly innocent and sensible young people that would end up in jail as a result of your scheme?

David, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

What a ridiculous commentary. Using drugs oneself is a personal choice, selling them to others is making their choices for them. The criminalisation of heroin was the turning point for ruining user's lives and making dealers rich!

The writer of the column is sadly uninformed.

Ben

Ben Robinson, Brighton, UK

1/3 of the population of this country has tried drugs at some point in their lives... I suggest we lock them all up and throw away the key!

Tikhon Savrasov, london,

The criminalisation of drugs has failed. Putting aside the arguements about the rights of a society to legislate what substances individuals put into their bodies, the drugs trade in Britain alone is worth £8billion a year. The war is lost. Deal with the reality.

Simon, Chessington, UK

er, excuse me. Has anyone seen a person high on coacaine/amphetamines/cannabis who is in a psychotic rage? Those idiots that think it's ok to break the law should spend a night in areas where drug use has made the non-drug users afraid for their own safety in broad daylight.

mark williams, stoke-on-trent,

What George does is self inflicting and doesn't harm anyone else. So why liken a drugs possesion offence to arms trading or child porn? There is a huge difference Mr Clark!

Ben , Hastings, England

I think cocaine use is more than an issue of personal liberty because of the connection with organised crime and human rights abuses in the countries of origin. There's no such thing as fair trade cocaine - though maybe we'd start to see such initiatives if it was legalised!

Sarah, London, UK

Why isn't he behind bars. This sets a very dangerous example for young people in a celebrity obsessed world.

David Leverett, warsaw, poland

Money sure dont make you happy , get real George and try helping other people less fortunate with all that cash it obviously isnt doing you any good

andy, chalfont, england

>And yet how many drug users live in fear of ending up behind >bars? Well with more than 3 million users of illegal drugs, including over 1/2 a million of the most serious drugs in the UK , the idea that the problem can be solved by sending people to prison is absurd.

Tom, Aldershot, UK

Prison is not the answer anymore than legal anarchy. Our hedonistic self pleasuring society now rules everything. Motives should matter more. Trying to keep your home and family together can drive people to crime. They are imprisoned and their children suffer, just to "deter" others who walk free!

Sri, Potters Bar,

"there is a clear association between use of the drug and propensity to commit violent crime."

Oh dear. What do you have to say then about the clear link between alcohol and violent crime? Ban all drinkers?

Harry, Tyneside,

What a condescending little article. How can you possibly equate the importation of kilos drugs with the personal use of a few grams of them? Let's ban alcohol and tobacco, and see how far HMG gets.

John Annis, London,

The criminilisation of drugs is a nonsense that creates a distorted market and makes hugely inflated profits possible, thus attracting sinister criminal elements into a seedy trade. Decriminilisation would solve the problem whilst creating a whole set of new ones...live and let live,

Jonathan Walke, Leeds, England

The UK doesn't have a drug problem, it has a drug law problem. And Mr. Clark's sophistry fails to recognize that the wealthy always get a better deal from our legal system. Celebrity has little to nothing to do with it.

Bob Dobilno, Osaka, Japan

Intelligent is not a word I associate with George Michael.

Self-indulgent, immature, over-rated, yes. Intelligent? Definitely not.

Simon A, Melbourne, Australia

Michael is obviously in need of profeassional help, the sooner he gets it, the better.

katherine langton, blackburn,

Rather than which one I would say neither. What right is it of anyone else to say what you can and can't do with your own body? People smoke, drink, play dangerous sports, all of which can be similarly damaging, I don't see them spending eight years in prison.

John Barl, Leeds,