I REFER to the letter written by Lewis Marley, of Darlington, (HAS, March 15) in which he thinks that the use of drugs over 25 years has done no harm to his body, in taking "LSD, ecstasy, MDMA, cocaine, magic mushrooms and marijuana".

He also suggests that I, like the other two who wrote letters on this subject, are "morons" and that we have no experience of drugs other than what we read in the Daily Mail.

For Mr Marley’s information, I have for more than 20 years or so had dealings with all of the drugs he says he is happy to take and dealt with the results of such many times over.

And I do not get my information, as suggested by him, from newspapers but from first-hand experience in treating them.

John Merry, Darlington

AS one of the three dinosaurs referred to by Lewis Marley in his justification of legalised drug use, I would like to state that I too have a wide experience of drug use and its very disturbing consequences for society.

For many years, I have been an official visitor to prisons in the Durham area and have seen at first hand the damaged victims of the drug dealers Mr Marley refers to.

I have also witnessed the very special work carried out by the Prison Service drug dependency staff who work with the offenders using methadone and other substitutes to gradually reduce their intake, with the objective of them being drugfree when released.

It is difficult work which the prison service carry out with great care and diligence, treating all with respect and dignity.

My main point appears to have been missed by Mr Marley in that I was pointing to the fact that it is not the prerogative of Ron Hogg and Mike Barton to attempt to change the way the law is interpreted, but to carry out the law as defined by parliament.

There are many ways the public can influence our law makers.

Unlike Mr Marley, I do have faith in our system of government.

Sadly, if Mr Marley’s views are to be upheld then it would quickly develop into a situation that if you do not like a particular law, then just ignore it.

And that’s a sure-fire recipe for anarchy.

John Inskipp, Bishop Auckland