I AM disheartened to read a number of comments on social media, relating to your article tattoo artist slammed for shop sign banning 'junkies'.

The first point I would like to make relates to comments about health protection and harm reduction. I do understand there is a potential risk of blood-borne virus transmission between the tattoo artist's client and the artist. However, this assumes that the client who injects drugs has a blood-borne virus, and also neglects to acknowledge that blood-borne viruses are not exclusive to people who inject drugs.

However, the wider issue here is social stigma, which cannot go unchallenged. No one chooses to become dependent on, addicted to, or misuse drugs. If you believe it is a simple choice, then you are neglecting the multitude of complex factors at play. If people are to recover from substance misuse - and everyone has that right - then our communities need to be geared up to promote recovery. This includes not using pejorative terms to describe what is a destructive illness, further marginalising people living with substance misuse. This is an illness which is caused as much by our own biology as by the environment we live in.

People do recover from substance misuse, and it is in everyone's interest to make sure this happens. One sign on a tattoo artist's door isn't the issue, but the stigma associated with it definitely is.

Ryan McGovern

Baillieston

IT'S good news work has started on two new ferries on the Clyde. It is a small step in the right direction to try to preserve our history.

When you think of the Clyde you immediately think of the wonderful shipbuilding past and the old pictures of an industrious maritime past.

It is such a shame that nowadays you are lucky to even see a boat on the Clyde for business or pleasure.

C Gentles

Govan

SO Ian Duncan smith is charging people who are making a new claim for benefits 45p per minute, now can these people who voted to stay in the uk now see why we in Scotland must be rid of the trash that is the Tories, the only decent thing they did for Scotland was stabbing Margaret Thatcher in the back.

So come may lets get rid of the puppets that are Scottish Labour, the Tories, and the clowns that are the liberal democrats.

Jim, Renfrewshire

THE recent article that the airport rail link proposed under the big deal is once again under threat, call me cynical this seems to me once again that the SNP are meddling in any plans for investment that would help our city to grow and expand.

Ian Stewart