END DRUG PROHIBITION

It seems we can add the risk of chemical contamination to the list of
harms caused by illegal drug prohibition.

Of course, this is far from a new concept: Dangerous stills claimed
many lives during alcohol prohibition.

These clandestine drug labs essentially disappeared once prohibition
was repealed.

When will our elected leaders have the courage to admit that
prohibition is hurting all of us? Petty theft, violent turf wars, car
theft, prostitution, overdose and adulterated product are just a few
of its harmful consequences.

Prohibition of drugs has not worked, will not work and, indeed, cannot work.

The law of supply and demand will trump the criminal law every time.

It sounds repugnant to suggest dangerous drugs be sold in regulated,
legal markets. But we already do that with all kinds of dangerous legal drugs.

Ending prohibition won't solve our drug problem, but it will solve
our prohibition problems.

And those are much more serious and harmful to every Canadian.

Kirk Tousaw

Vancouver