It is a tragedy for Thelma Pickard that her 17-year-old daughter Amy is still in a heroin-induced coma after six months.

Should Amy recover, she will discover that she has lost the child she was carrying and that her boyfriend, Michael Morfee, has died from a heroin overdose.

Now Mrs Pickard, of Hastings, wants cannabis to be legalised so more police resources can be channelled into finding and arresting pushers of hard drugs.

Legalising cannabis would not make much difference to the existing policy of Sussex Police, which is already to target the dealers of heroin and crack cocaine.

The Government has already signified that while possessing cannabis remains an offence technically, it will not take action against pot smokers.

It is hesitating to condone the use of cannabis because of doubts about the long-term effects of this drug and the knowledge that, for a minority of users, it leads on to hard drugs.

The police have had some success in cracking down on drug dealers recently. A pair from Liverpool operating in the county were sentenced to a total of more than 20 years in jail.

But what police need is for heroin and cocaine addicts to tell them where they got their supplies.

Mrs Pickard knows only too well what a terrible problem drugs are in towns such as Hastings.

Everyone will be hoping that Amy, who has already shown flickers of movement in her hospital bed, can make a full recovery to lead a drug-free life.