LEGALIZE ALL DRUGS: FORMER POLICE OFFICER

After 28 years on the Vancouver police force, Tony Smith believes the
"war on drugs" is creating far more problems than it's solving.

During a 45-minute speech at the Alberta Harm Reduction Conference on
Thursday, Smith argued legalizing all drugs would lower crime, and
take control of the drug industry out of the hands of dangerous criminals.

The retired officer is a member of Law Enforcement Against
Prohibition (LEAP), a non-profit organization of former judges,
prosecutors, federal agents and police officers from around the world
that argues that drugs should be legalized and taxed similar to alcohol.

A former member of the force's pawn shop squad, he told the crowd of
about 350 people about a man who arrived at a Vancouver pawn shop
still tearing the tags off stolen goods with his teeth.

"Dealers are right outside the pawnshops taking the money for drugs,"
he said. "If you're needing $200 for drugs, then you're going to need
to steal around $2,000 worth of goods."

Smith estimated that Canada spends $2.5 billion a year enforcing drug
laws, including the costs to the court system, the jail system and the police.

"Think of all the good that saving that money could do," he said. "It
could be put towards the education system or the health care system."

Smith said if government controlled the drugs as opposed to
criminals, it would be easier for addicts to get help quitting.

"Dealers have no interest in their clients quitting, if anything they
try to push more drugs," he said.

The response to Smith's message was mixed.

"I agree with a lot of what he said," said Lianne Hazell, director of
housing with Central Alberta Safe Harbour Society. "We believe that
if we have more police to look after policing the drugs and alcohol
problem, then that's going to solve it . . . we don't have to work
harder, we have to work differently."

Hazell said legalization of drugs might be a solution.

She said she hoped that if drugs were legalized the government would
also work on helping addicts get well.

Dr. Laura McLeod deputy medical officer of health for the David
Thompson Health Region, said she was concerned about Smith's claims
that marijuana did not have any lasting harmful health effects.

"A lot of the health studies on marijuana have been done on the baby
boomer generation smoking marijuana in the '70s," she said. "We know
the dose of THC (the main chemical in the drug) in current street
marijuana is much higher . . . we don't know what the effects of that
will be." McLeod said she did not have enough expertise to comment on
the legalization of drugs.