However, due to the constant scaremongering streaming out of both TV and radio, not to mention being emblazoned across the front pages of biased, corporate- owned, gutter-press newspapers (including the still-god-knows-how best-selling rag, The Sun), I am all too aware of the state of fear we are being kept in and the kind of views that are borne out in such a climate.

In your letter you say drug dealers should be executed – if you look to the big cities you'll find that they're doing a good job executing each other, and the problem still exists.

The politicians are burying their heads in the sand, disregarding medical science's advice with regards the beneficial properties of marijuana, meaning the only place to acquire it is dealers – thus making criminals out of sick people who are, in every other way, decent, law-abiding people.

The myths, rumours and downright lies built up around drug users and dealers are helping society crumble – it's a two-way street.

Aside from anything else, there are far too many miscarriages of justice under the present system to justify the death penalty.

May I ask which non-serious crimes would be dealt with by flogging the criminals in question; littering, dog fouling, non-payment of council tax?

I suppose we could free up some of the over-crowded prisons by dragging our council-tax evading OAPs to the Tuesday Market Place in Lynn and breaking out the cat o' nine tails.

As for conscription, I fail to see what teaching a few bad apples we do have how killing your fellow man in uniform is better than at any other time, will achieve, other than maybe more efficient murderers.

Our ancestors suffered and fought against centuries of oppression for our human rights, and we should not give them up so easily simply because we're faced with an over-hyped problem created under a cloud of fear.

If you show young people the same respect you afford other people, you'll find they're not the terrorists the media would have you believe, although some do seem to speak in a foreign language which may be enough for some to condemn them.

Many young people are suffering from mental illnesses triggered by the pressures of today's greed-led society and need our help, not sending away to be shot at – barbarism breeds barbarism!

I cut your letter out of the newspaper, just in case it got thrown away before I had the opportunity to write this, and was confronted with a much more positive image (top right corner, Page 12 , Tamara Proctor, 08AF06101).