I have just read Victoria Gillick’s letter about legalising the sale of cannabis and am struck by how misinformed she is.

Legalising cannabis does not turn everyone into ‘pot heads’ no more than alcohol and tobacco (legal and taxable drugs) turns everyone into smokers and raging alcoholics. I neither smoke nor drink, nor do I wish to.

If cannabis was legal, I ‘might’ use the herb in a cake, to see if it helped my pain.

As for her comment about it leading to a “drug dependent state”, well that is nonsense. We probably already have that since nearly everyone I know, seems to be on anti-depressants.

Besides, cannabis is not addictive.

How do I know? Well this old hippy used to grow her own and smoke it ‘back in the day’.

I was not a heavy user, and used it much as Mrs Gillick might use a glass or two of wine at the end of a stressful day.

Did I mention I now do not smoke? (I have never been a drinker) I was not addicted, nor have I ever tried harder drugs.

As for her assertion that it causes memory loss, violent episodes and psychotic behaviour, I think she might be reading from a book warning about alcohol, which does all of these things.

Cannabis, however, is what the native Americans used in their ‘peace pipes’. I can assure her that it makes you very relaxed, inclined to giggle and find even mundane things funny, then you get the munchies and want to eat. You most certainly do not want to fight.

I knew a lot of what she calls ‘pot heads’ back then and never heard of anyone ‘having a toke’ then going home to beat his wife up, or wanting to fight in the street.

My advice to Mrs Gillick would be to only express an onion about things you have experience of, otherwise you make yourself look foolish.

Much as I would if I commented on religion, having no clue about what would make a reasonable person believe in some divine being sitting on a cloud and directing our lives.

Perhaps Mrs Gillick should smoke a spliff and see exactly how it makes her feel. At least then she would be commenting on something she had experienced.

Her opinion about cannabis is as worthless as if she commented on the effects of contraceptives, or atheism.

PAM THOMPSON

Tydd St Giles,