Legislation to control illegal drugs may be the best solution

THE cause of Whitney Houston’s death remains undisclosed but the widespread assumption is that it was caused by drugs.

After all, she had battled with drug problems earlier in her life, particularly with crack cocaine (although this was something she denied) and she told Oprah Winfrey only three years ago how her mother had confronted her dramatically about her problems. Tales of her use of crack cocaine featured prominently in the early coverage of her death.

Some prominent figures in the US reacted to this by claiming that this latest premature death of a popular artist at a young age drew attention to the failure of the “war against drugs” and the need to follow a different approach, such as the legislation and control of banned substances. It has been widely reported that the singer Tony Bennett told a party gathering on the night of Houston’s death that “first it was Michael Jackson, then it was Amy Winehouse, and now, the magnificent Whitney Houston. I’d like to have every gentleman and lady in this room commit themselves to get our government to legalise drugs — so they’ll have to get it through a doctor, not to some gangsters who just sell it under the table.”