MRS S Howarth (Bolton Evening News, May 1) is obviously concerned about drugs and young people.

But she is asking the Bolton Evening News to start a campaign to try to persuade David Blunkett to abandon his policy on going easy on soft drugs.

Drugs, soft or hard, are out of control. The market for them is huge, and the police are fighting a losing battle.

Soft drugs, it is argued, are less dangerous, or addictive, than nicotine and alcohol. They are used in vast quantities, not just by young people, but by many professional people, as an alternative to tobacco and alcohol.

David Blunkett and many others, including our own Brian Iddon, realise that soft drugs are too big to be dealt with by prohibition.

I would argue the case for the legalisation of all drugs. Then, in one fell swoop, we would bring to an end the reign of the drug barons and all those concerned in the lucrative illegal drugs trade.

Drug addicts are often vulnerable people who become addicted after being enticed on to hard drugs by dealers. Once addicted, they become a huge source of income to other dealers.

Drug addicts need help. Throwing them into prison is not what is needed. Forcing them into a life of crime to pay for their illegal drugs helps no one -- other than the dealers!

Smokers are able to relieve their cravings legally and relatively cheaply. Addicts have to use dealers and then pay through the nose -- if you'll pardon the expression -- for their drugs.

We must allow the police to concentrate their efforts on hard drugs and accept the fact that soft drugs are now a way of life for many people across the spectrum of our society.

Brian Derbyshire

Ribchester Grove

Bolton