I was delighted to see the story about a York solicitor backing legal prescription of heroin by GPs (October 12), and sorry to read the confused thinking from police Superintendent Barnett, who apparently thinks it's not a bad idea except for the "criminal connection".

He's got it the wrong way round - the reason there is such a connection is precisely because GPs had the discretion to prescribe heroin removed from them in the early Sixties.

If addicts (now, sadly, so many times more numerous because we have foolishly criminalised the supply) could obtain pure supplies relatively cheaply, the pushers would make no more of a living than the makers of illegal alcohol in America after the repeal of prohibition - ie none. Where would be the incentive to a pusher to try to get people hooked by initial cheap or even free supply?

The vast amount of crime carried out to finance drug habits would also decline. Of course this would take time, and have to be allied to education and rehabilitation.

We have been losing this battle as a society for a generation, and like the US with prohibition, we should say "enough" and cut the ground from under the feet of the pushers.

Common sense when you think about it.

Mike Cadoux,

Church Street,

Bubwith,

Selby.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.