Madam, - I believe that we have seen a serious deterioration in the war against drugs during 2007. I refer not to the wonderful job being done almost daily by An Garda Síochána, but to the tolerance of drug-taking that has emerged in the past year.
The tragic deaths of so many young people as a result of their cocaine habits have been both sad and disturbing. However, I believe that so too have been the reaction to these tragedies by various sections of the community.
We had the Taoiseach sending his aide-de-camp to the funeral of a young woman who, it appears, tragically died because of her drug habits, without the same respect being shown to the hundreds who have died from heroin overdoses over the years. We have seen B- and C-list celebrities who, in the hope of resurrecting their careers, openly admitted to their drug habits in the media, as if this was something to be proud of.
There appears to be a different attitude to the privileged members of society. What we refer to as a "socialite dabbling in cocaine" is called a "junkie" if they come from a poorer area. The reality is that they are all junkies and are contributing to the coffers of our drug lords. All of them, whether they like it or not, are responsible for buying the bullets that kill people almost weekly in gang wars.
If we are serious about tackling this cancer in our society then we should call for all those who have openly admitted to breaking the law to be prosecuted. The evidence which could be produced in court are their own admissions, which we have had to endure in recent months in many sections of the media.
Perhaps fewer people would then boast openly about their drug-taking and we could start sending the right message to young people and give them the leadership they deserve in 2008. - Yours, etc,
JIMMY GUERIN, Howth, Co Dublin.